Living Well programme – A programme for adults with long-term health conditions

Living with a long-term health condition can be challenging.

The Living Well programme is a free 6-week self-management programme for adults with chronic or long-term health conditions. It gives you the skills and confidence to live well with your long-term health condition.

Living Well is a self-management resource centre evidence-based self-management programme originally developed at Stanford University.

Who the Living Well programme is for

Living Well is for people aged 18 and over.

It is suitable for you if you are:

  • living with a long-term health conditions
  • caring for someone with a long-term health condition

Living Well is not suitable if you have significant memory or learning difficulties.

What we mean by self management

Self-management is what you have to do every day to look after your long-term health condition.

For example:

  • making healthy lifestyle changes, like being active, eating healthily, and not smoking
  • taking prescribed medicine
  • monitoring your symptoms
  • dealing with your emotions about your health
  • talking to the health care professionals who look after you

What to expect from the programme

The Living Well programme may be online or in person. If it is online you can get support to do it online if you need it.

Your Living Well programme will:

  • run weekly for 6 weeks
  • be for 2.5 hours each week
  • be run by 2 trained leaders - at least 1 lives with a long-term health condition
  • have a relaxed and friendly environment
  • be a group of people with different health conditions

You will receive a book about self-management.

What is covered each week

A key part of Living Well is setting goals that you want to achieve. Each week you learn how to reach these goals by making an action plan. You also get support from the group to problem solve.

Week 1

  • Using your mind to manage symptoms.
  • Fatigue (extreme tiredness) and getting a good night’s sleep.
  • Introduction to action plans.

Week 2

  • Dealing with difficult emotions.
  • Physical activity, exercise and preventing falls.

Week 3

  • Decision making.
  • Pain management.
  • Healthy eating.

Week 4

  • Breathing techniques.
  • Reading food labels.
  • Communicating skills.

Week 5

  • Managing your medicines
  • Positive thinking, dealing with low mood and feelings of depression.

Week 6

  • Making informed treatment decisions.
  • Planning for the future.

Join a Living Well programme

If you want to join this programme or need more information, contact your local Living Well team. They will let you know about the next available programme. Your GP/Doctor can also refer you to your local Living Well Team using an e-Referral system called Healthlink. Please discuss this with your Practice Nurse or GP. The contact details for your local Living Well team is listed below.

Living Well programme contacts

If your county is not listed please contact the team closest to you.

Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo

Date: Wednesday 2nd April 2025 to Wednesday 7th May 2025
Time: 10:30am - 1:00pm
Location: M.C.R. Community Centre, Quay Street, Sligo. F91XH96

Date: Tuesday 29th April 2025 to Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Time: 10:30am - 1:00pm
Location: Cara House Family Resouce Centre, Pearse Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. F92YA21

Date: Tuesday 29th April 2025 to Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Time: 10:30am - 1:00pm
Location: Letterkenny Library, Oliver Plunkett Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. F92R273

Date: Wednesday 14th May 2025 to Wednesday 18th June 2025
Time: 11.00am - 1:30pm
Location: Bundoran Parish Hall, Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Church Road, Bundoran, Co. Donegal. F94AK80

Date: Thursday 22nd May 2025 to Thursday 26th June 2025
Time: 10.30am - 1:00pm
Location: Breffni Family Resource Centre, Breffni Crecent, Carrick On Shannon, Co. Leitrim. N41X9D6

Date: Thursday 29th May 2025 to Thursday 10th July 2025
Time: 10.30am - 1:00pm
Location: Online

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Fiona Doherty 
Phone: 087 180 0286
livingwell.nw@hse.ie

Mayo, Galway, Roscommon

Date: Tuesday 1st April 2025 to Tuesday 6th May 2025
Time: 10.30 am - 1 pm
Location: Galway city (Ballybane Resource Centre)

Date: Friday 25th April 2025 to Friday 30th May 2025
Time: 10.30 am - 1 pm
Location: Castlebar, Co Mayo (Mayo Hospice)

Date: Tuesday 20th May 2025 to Tuesday 24th June 2025
Time: 10.30 am - 1 pm
Location: Bangor Erris, Co Mayo (Parish Hall)

Date: Friday 9th May 2025 to Friday 13th June 2025
Time: 
10.30 am – 1 pm
Location: 
Ballinasloe, Social Services Centre

Date: Monday 16th June 2025 to Monday 21st July 2025
Time: 
10.30 am – 1 pm
Location: 
Tuam, The Grove

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Contact: Fiona Cunnane
Phone:087 718 5615
fcunnane@southmayo.com

Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary

Date: Wednesday 23rd April 2025 to Wednesday 28th May 2025
Time: 
10.30am - 1pm
Location: 
Shannon, Co. Clare

Date: Thursday 24th April 2025 to Thursday 29th May 2025
Time: 
10.45am - 1.15pm
Location: 
Nenagh, Co.Tipperary

Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025 to Tuesday 15th July 2025
Time: 
10.30am-1pm
Location: 
Ennis Primary Care Centre, Ennis, Co. Clare

Date: Wednesday 11th June 2025 to Wednesday 16th July 2025
Time: 
10.30am-1pm
Location: 
Southill Hub, Limerick City

Date: Thursday 12th June 2025 to Thursday 17th July 2025
Time: 
10.30am-1pm
Location: 
Kilmallock, Co. Limerick

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Contact: Philip Hennessy
Phone: 087 179 9396
philip.hennessy2@hse.ie

Cork, Kerry

For information on the Living Well programme please contact:

Contact: Maeve Carmody
maeveh.carmody@hse.ie

Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, South Tipperary

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Matthew Power
Phone: 087 4988966
Matthew.Power@hse.ie

Dublin South East, Dun Laoghaire, Wicklow

Date: Thursday 3 April 2025 to Thursday 8 May 2025
Time: 
2pm to 4.30pm
Location:
Kilmacud Parish Centre, Stillorgan

Date: Friday 25 April 2025 to Friday 30 May 2025
Time: 
10.30am to 1pm
Location: 
Wickow Primary Care Centre

Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025 to Tuesday 24 June 2025
Time: 
7pm to 9.30pm
Location:
Online

Date: Thursday 22 May 2025 to Thursday 26 June 2025
Time: 
10.30am to 1pm
Location:
Sallynoggin Youth and Community Facility

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Contact: Triona McNamee
Phone: 087 405 3880
Email: livingwellcheast@hse.ie

Dublin South, Kildare & West Wicklow 

For information on the Living Well programme please contact:

Contact: Mary-Rose Cunningham
Phone: 087 432 0202
maryrose.cunningham@hse.ie

Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Louth and Meath

Date: Wednesday 16th April 2025 to Wednesday 21st May
Time: 
2pm - 4:30pm
Location: 
Kells Family Resource Centre, Kells, Co. Meath

Date: Thursday 17th April 2025 to Thursday 29th May 2025
Time: 
10am - 12:30pm
Location: 
Online

Date: Tuesday 6th May 2025 to Tuesday 10th June 2025
Time: 
10:30am - 1:00pm
Location: 
Barbican Centre, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Date: Wednesday 7th May 2025 to Wednesday 11th June 2025
Time: 
10:30am - 1:00pm
Location: 
Oak Centre, Dunboyne, Co. Meath

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Contact: Aine McNamee
Phone: 041 6850676
aine.mcnamee@hse.ie

Contact: Elaine Duffy
Phone: 041 6860710

Dublin North City and County

Date: Wednesday 16th April 2025 to Wednesday 28th Mary 2025
Time: 
10.30am - 1pm
Location: 
Blakestown Resource Centre

For information on upcoming programmes please contact:

Contact: Leah Harrington
Phone: 087 365 4392
LivingWellDNCC@hse.ie

Feedback on the programme

People who have done the programme say that they feel more confident and in control of their health. They also report that their mood has improved and they have better sleep.

"I met wonderful people with other illnesses and this made me feel ‘not alone’ which helped me emotionally.”

“It made me more aware of my habits and gave me the tools to make positive changes”.

“My confidence has increased and I feel I am now able to manage my condition better”.

HSE Health Matters Living Well Testimonial Winter 2022 (PDF, size 325 KB, 1 page)

Podcast

Listen to a podcast episode about the programme.

Living Well Programme - podbean.com

Promotional material for health professionals

Contact your local coordinator for printed supplies of any promotional material.

This project has received funding from the Government of Ireland’s Slaintecare Integration Fund 2019 under grant agreements 38, 78, 185, 219, 413, 418.