Making Every Contact Count (MECC) Webinar: Why Chronic Disease Prevention Works
This virtual event, takes place on Thursday, 23rd May 2024, 11:00am - 12:30pm and focusses on how MECC is making a positive difference for healthcare professionals and service users.
Areas to be discussed include:
- Making Every Contact Count – how we got here
- Why MECC works – how taking a proactive approach to lifestyle behaviour can change lives
- MECC Supports – National training programme
- Positive impact MECC is making in healthcare settings, healthcare professionals and service user experiences
- Where to from here: The MECC Implementation Plan 2023 – 2027.
Please share this invite with your teams and networks. Please circulate invite attached or see registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom
HSE Launch a New Guide to Support Parents and Carers in Talking to Their Children about Health and Weight
The HSE has developed a new booklet called Talking to Your Child About Health and Weight – A Guide for Parents and Caregivers of Children. Recognising the need for accessible and practical resources, this booklet provides practical tips and advice to help parents and caregivers of children with health and weight concerns.
Key messages:
- Whether or not parents should talk to their children about their weight and how to do it in a kind and supportive way to help them feel good about their bodies.
- The importance of setting an example for children by carefully choosing what to say, what to do, and how to talk about oneself and others regarding health and weight.
- Practical tips for parents and carers on when and how to talk to their children about health and weight, how to start these conversations and keep them going over time.
- Tips for parents and carers on how to help their child develop a positive body image
- Guidance on how parents and carers can support their children even if they are unhappy with their own health and weight.
- Links to additional resources, including websites and support groups.
Healthcare professionals can use this booklet with parents and carers by:
- Asking permission to raise the topic and share information on talking to children about health and weight.
- Share the booklet with parents and carers.
- Highlight important information that is relevant to the parent.
- Encourage parents and carers to create a supportive family environment where healthier habits are encouraged for everyone.
- Provide parents with links or references to additional resources, such as HSE Child Health A-Z and other reputable websites.
Talking to Your Child About Health and Weight – A Guide for Parents and Caregivers of Children can be ordered for free from https://www.healthpromotion.ie/
Learn more about Physical Activity for Health Officers
As part of the development of the Physical Activity for Health Model, we have been working with Sport Ireland and Department of Health to look at innovative ways to support participation in community based physical activity by people living with chronic conditions. One element is the development of a Physical Activity for Health Officer (PAfH) role in the network of Local Sports Partnerships. 2023 saw the appointment of PAfH Officers in six Local Sports Partnerships – Mayo, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Longford. The HSE provided some seed funding to each of these LSPs for 2024 to further develop the initiative at local level. PAfH Officers, Ben Hunt from Wexford LSP and Sinéad Brannigan from Waterford LSP recently were guests on ISESA podcast chatting about their work and the PAfH programme. Listen to the ISESA podcast to find out more: Google, Apple, Spotify, Acast.
The Institute of Public Health (IPH) How We Age Photography Competition
The Institute of Public Health (IPH) has launched its second How We Age photography competition to capture the lived experiences of older people in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 2024 ‘How We Age’ photography competition seeks to build on the success of the 2022 competition and will this year focus on the theme of How We Age: Working, learning, and volunteering in later life.The all-island competition is open for entries from Wednesday, 1 May and has several top prizes on offer.
The How We Age competition is all about changing how we portray ageing and older people in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It seeks to create a series of images that will better represent and more accurately portray what it means to age or get older by showing older people doing ordinary, everyday things.
Under the theme of How We Age: Working, learning, and volunteering in later life, IPH is seeking images that portray older people in an authentic and inclusive way - regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, culture, ability, income, or post code and include older adults:
- Working – all forms of work, part-time, full-time, paid and unpaid;
- Learning – engaged in lifelong learning, teaching or learning;
- Volunteering - contributing to society both formally and informally.
Visit www.publichealth.ie/photo for further information and terms and conditions, submission guidelines, and consent forms
Final Reminder to Register for the Steps to Health Challenge
Register for the Steps to Health Challenge before tomorrow, Friday 3rd May. Steps to Health is a 5-week challenge starting on Monday 13 May. It aims to get you to move more while connecting with your colleagues.
If you want to participate:
- form a team of between 2 and 10 participants
- choose a team co-ordinator and team name
- register your co-ordinator and your team online
- use a tracking device to count your steps during the challenge
- if you have restricted mobility or are a wheelchair user, measure your physical activity levels using tracking devices or an app on your phone
Visit hse.ie/stepschallenge for more information.
Health and Wellbeing Ezine
The latest edition of our HSE Health and Wellbeing Ezine has been published. Click here to read articles on what’s been happening with Health and Wellbeing.