Living Well programme

The Living Well Programme will be delivered as an online programme during the COVID-19 restrictions period.

Watch this video to learn more about the Living Well Programme.

What is the Living Well Programme?

Living Well is a free group self-management programme. Self-management is what a person does every day to manage their long-term health condition. This may include making choices to improve your health such as becoming more active, eating more healthily and stopping smoking. It may also include more complex tasks such as taking medication, monitoring your symptoms, coping with the emotional aspects of the condition and communicating with healthcare professionals.

Living with a long-term health condition can be challenging but may be especially so during Covid 19. The Living Well programme supports you to develop the skills which will help you to live well with a long-term health condition(s). The Living Well programme has proven to be effective in helping people to manage their health conditions better.

What does Living Well involve?

• Living Well is a group programme which runs online for six weeks. There is one workshop a week which lasts 2.5 hours
• Two trained facilitators run the workshops each week. At least one of the facilitators lives with a long-term health condition
• People taking part in the workshops may have the same health condition(s) as you. Others will have different health conditions. There will be up to ten people taking part in the group
• The workshops are delivered in a relaxed and friendly way so that all participants can learn from each other. You can also share experiences of living with your condition(s)
• Each person who takes part gets a book about self-management.
• The Living Well programme is not suitable for people with significant memory or learning difficulties

Who is Living Well for?

Living Well is for adults 18 years and over. It is suitable for you if you are:

• living with one or more long-term health conditions (click here for a list of examples) 
• caring for someone with a long-term health condition

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.

In addition, the following are covered over the 6 weeks:

Week 1

• Using your mind to manage symptoms
• Fatigue and getting a good night’s sleep
• Introduction to action plans

Week 2

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

Week 3

• Decision making
• Pain management
• Healthy eating

Week 4

• Breathing techniques
• Reading food labels
• Communicating skills

Week 5

• Medication management
• Positive thinking, dealing with low mood and feelings of depression

Week 6

• Making informed treatment decisions
• Planning for the future 

Upcoming Living Well Programmes 2022

Tuesday 18 January to Tuesday 22 February, 10.30am to 1pm, CHO5
to book a place contact Catriona Renwick 087 293 9881  catriona.renwick@hse.ie

Tuesday 18 January toTuesday 1 March, 10.30am to 1pm, CHO8
to book a place contactAine McNamee 087 114 0371  aine.mcnamee@hse.ie

Tuesday 18 January toTuesday 22 February, 7 to 9.30pm, CHO9
to book a place contact Leah Harrington 087 365 4392  leah.harrington@hse.ie

Wednesday 19 January toWednesday 2 March, 10am to 12.30pm, CHO4
to book a place contactMichael Healy 087 183 2648  michael.healy4@hse.ie

Wednesday 19 January to Wednesday 2 March, 10.30am to 1pm,CHO8
to book a place contact Aine McNamee 087 114 0371  aine.mcnamee@hse.ie

Thursday 20 January to Thursday 3 March, 10.30am to 1pm,CHO8
to book a place contact Aine McNamee 087 114 0371  aine.mcnamee@hse.ie

Tuesday 25 January to Tuesday 8 March, 2pm to 4.30pm, CHO1
to book a place contact Helen O'Driscoll 087 396 4307   helenodriscollqol@outlook.ie

Wednesday 26 January to Wednesday 9 March, 10.30am to 1pm, CHO1
to book a place contact Helen O'Driscoll 087 396 4307   helenodriscollqol@outlook.ie

Wednesday 26 January to Wednesday 9 March, 10.30am to 1pm,CHO6
to book a place contact Triona McNamee 087 405 3880   triona.mcnamee@hse.ie

Friday 28 January to Friday 4 March, 2pm to 4.30pm, CHO5
to book a place contact Catriona Renwick 087 293 9881   catriona.renwick@hse.ie

How do I register?

If you are interested in taking part in this programme or would like more information, please contact your local Living Well Team. They will make contact with you and let you know about the next available programme.

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

Please note: Living Well has been provided in Ireland for many years under a variety of names including: ‘Quality of Life’ (Donegal), ‘Self Care to Wellness’ (Mayo & Roscommon), ‘Better Health Better Living’ (Beaumont Hospital) and Living Well with Arthritis (Arthritis Ireland) to name a few.

What have people said about 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”

Promotional Material

Living Well brochure 22-07 (PDF, 763.1 KB, 1 page)

Living Well poster 27-07 (PDF, 443.7 KB, 1 page)

Please contact your local coordinator for printed supplies of any promotional material.

Living Well is a Self –Management Resource Centre (SMRC) Evidence-Based Self- Management Program originally developed at Stanford University.

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