Health and wellbeing

We know that what happens during the first few years of life (starting in the womb) has lifelong effects on the health and wellbeing of a child – from obesity, heart disease and mental wellbeing, as well as success at school and later working life. We also know that the choices parents’ make for themselves can support or make it difficult for children to develop healthy habits.

Start4Life website is the place to go for trusted NHS help and advice during pregnancy, birth and parenthood. It gives advice of how to eat well and keep active during pregnancy, helping to ensure you have an uncomplicated delivery and healthy baby. It helps new parents understand about how best to feed a new baby by explaining the benefits of breastfeeding and when to introduce solid foods. There is also a section about the best foods for toddlers and tips to keep them active.

These days, 'modern life' can mean that children are a lot less active. With so many opportunities to watch TV or play computer games, and with so much convenience and fast food available, children don't move about as much, or eat as well as we used to. Nine out of 10 of our kids today could grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies. This can cause life-threatening diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The Change 4 Life website helps families ‘Eat Well, Move More and Live Longer’, it helps parents understand what foods keep children strong and healthy, it has loads of easy to cook recipes and lots and lots of ideas to keep kids fit and active. You can find information about

C4L Recipes            Healthy Snacks               Food labels               Get Kids Active

Look After Yourself - One You

Poor health and around 40% of all deaths of adults in England is related to everyday habits and behaviours – such as eating too much unhealthy food, drinking too much alcohol, not being active enough or continuing to smoke. They also cost the NHS more than £11 billion every year.

One You can help you avoid future diseases caused by modern lifestyles by taking control of your health by eating a healthier diet, drinking less alcohol, exercising more, and quitting smoking. One You will help you enjoy a longer and healthier life.

One You encourages you to think about your life and the choices you make, by putting yourself first and making some changes to improve your own health and feel good about yourself. It’s never too late - making changes such as eating well, drinking less alcohol, quitting smoking or being more active can double your chances of being healthy at 70 and beyond. Think about the small changes you can make.  

Take this free online health quiz, called ‘How Are You’, to identify where you can make changes in your life. The quiz provides personalised recommendations and will direct you to tools and advice created by experts to help you take action where it’s most needed.

The One You website can help you understand more about

Quit Smoking                     Eat Better                             Sexual Health

Lose Weight                       Move More                            Sleep Better

Drink Less                          Diabetes                               Better Mental Health

Warrington Wellbeing Service

Wellbeing is about having a good quality of life; it can be described as feeling healthy, happy or being able to cope with the problems that can happen in life. There are many different issues that can affect your wellbeing; worries about money, feeling stuck in a rut, or maybe wanting help to change, for example quit smoking.

For more information click here

These courses are for adults age 18 and over in the Warrington Community.  Who are looking at improving their health and wellbeing.

I am I can Time for Me/Happiness

Mindfulness

Anxiety Management

Positive Thoughts

Looking after your mental wellbeing using - www.happyoksad.org.uk

Youth Connect 5

Boost

Maketime

Change 4 Life

Dementia Friends

OFFLOAD

Budget Boosting

Creative Remedies

Getting to know your Tablet

Computers for the Terrified

Ageing Well

Blooming Art

All these courses are FREE and held in the local community - for more information click on the course you wish to attend

Happy? OK? Sad? is Warrington's mental health awareness website.

The site includes information about how to look after your mental wellbeing, as well as a directory of mental health support services. There’s also details of services you can contact if you can’t cope and need help right now. Local services are clearly marked and there’s a short description explaining what each service offers. The website is divided into age specific pages, so you can quickly find the information and services most relevant to you. There’s also a page for frontline workers with links to free resources and online tools.

The aims of the Happy? OK? Sad? website are to make you aware of:

• simple things you can do to look after your mental health
• symptoms of common mental health problems
• services that can offer information, advice, support or treatment
• what to do if someone can’t cope and needs help right now

As this year’s theme is “young people and mental health in a changing world” a new section, listing free mental health resources for children and young people, has been published on Warrington mental health awareness site www.happyoksad.org.uk

The section new covers:

• Mental health and wellbeing resources for schools
• Leaflets, booklets and fact sheets on different aspects of mental health, for young people, parents, carers and staff
• Training relating to young people’s mental health and wellbeing

 The text below explains where on the Happy? OK? Sad? site you can find these resources; and also where on the site additional information relating to children and young people’s mental health can be found:

Links to free mental health resources

To find the new section listing links to free mental health resources for children and young people:

1. Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
2. Click the blue “front line workers” button
3. Then look under the drop down heading “Resources for children, young people & the adults who support them”

Support services for young people
The Happy? OK? Sad? site also has a page for children and young people, with details of mental health information and support they can access themselves. To find this information:

1. Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
2. Click the blue “children and young people” button
3. Then look under the dark  heading “information and support”

Signposting or referring a child or young person into services
Information on the front line workers' page of the Happy? OK? Sad? site gives details about how to refer a child or young person into mental health services. Many of the services listed in this section of the website are specialised and require referral by a professional working with the individual or family. To find this information:

1. Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
2. Click the blue “Front line workers” button
3. Then click the drop down heading “Signposting or referring children or young people into services”

Happy? OK? Sad? promotional materials
Flyers, leaflets, posters and bookmarks signposting people to the Happy? OK? Sad? site are available free, for distribution in Warrington. (The materials include a poster and a leaflet designed especially for young people). If you would like to order some of the materials for the people you support, or to give to colleagues, then please complete and return the attached order form.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing & Make Time
Make Time is Cheshire and Merseyside’s mental wellbeing campaign. The campaign encourages us all to do everyday things, which can help us feel good about ourselves. The Make Time materials are aimed at adults, but many of the messages are still relevant to children and young people. The Children’s Society has slightly adapted the Five Ways to Wellbeing (on which Make Time is based) and has included “Be creative and play” as a way for children to improve their wellbeing, (rather than “give”, which is in the adult version of the Five Ways to Wellbeing).

The Make Time prompt sheet, though not aimed at young people, is clear and colourful and explains the Make Time campaign without using jargon. The sheet encourages people to think about what they do now to feel good about themselves, and what else they might do. It can be used in 1-1s with young people, or young people could fill it in themselves. I’ve attached a PDF of the prompt sheet. Hard copies are available free from Warrington Health Promotion Resource Centre. To order hard copies please email resources@warrington.gov.uk or ring 01925 443193

Who to contact

Website www.happyoksad.co.uk

Parent organisation Warrington Borough Council

It is widely recognised that people are living longer, due to both advances in medicine and the adoption of healthier lifestyles.  In Warrington, 20% of people are over 65years and the number of 80 year olds is projected to increase by 100% over the next 25 years.  It is therefore vital that as we age, we reap the benefits of living in a healthy, prosperous and socially inclusive life.

Here are 11 tops tips to Healthy ageing, to support people to do just that!  Each of the sections below contains advice, guidance and information on how to age well; covering a range of topics from financial planning to strength based exercises to keeping fit and prevent falls.

11 tops tips to ageing well….

1.    Flu jabs

2.    Winter months

3.    Keeping Active/Staying Strong and Fit 

 4.   Mental Health and Wellbeing - Keep Learning

5.    Health Check and Screening

6.    Eat a good healthy diet

7.    Regularly review your medication

8.     Involve yourself in the Community

9.     Check your benefit entitlement

10.    Keep Hydrated - take notice

11.    Independent Living