Living Well in North Yorkshire

What is Living Well?

Living Well Co-ordinators (LWCs) work with people in need to reduce loneliness and isolation, increase participation and support you to be independent.

Living Well aims to improve the health, wellbeing and independence of adults. Our co-ordinators work with individuals and their carers who are isolated, vulnerable, bereaved, lacking confidence or perhaps on the borderline of needing health and social care services.

To prevent the need for statutory support, we help people access their local community and support them to find solutions to their health and wellbeing goals. This helps to reduce loneliness and isolation and prevents or resolves issues for people, including hospitalisation.

Who can benefit?

Living Well can support adults who are not currently eligible for ongoing social care support and who:

• Are lonely and/or socially isolated.

• Have had a recent loss of a support network, including bereavement.

• Have had a loss of confidence due to a recent change or event.

• Require face-to-face information, advice and guidance.

• Need some support to find or maintain employment.

This may be people who need a little extra help to overcome some of life’s challenges and changes; people who have a caring role, who are frail or physically disabled, people with a learning disability or autism, or people with mental health conditions or sensory impairments.

What can you expect?

LWCs will spend time with individuals on a one-to-one basis. LWCs will:

• Talk to you and find out more about what support is required.

• Help you to think about areas of your life that you would like to change.

• Work alongside you and listen to what help you may need.

• Support you to make simple changes to manage your health and stay well.

• Support you to plan what you need to do to make those changes and help you to achieve your goals in an agreed time frame.

Some types of support that LWCs provide include:

• Support to build self-confidence.

• Support with practical advice and skills.

• Advice on healthy living and signposting to lifestyle services such as exercise or stop smoking.

• Help to get online either in the home or using a universal/community service, such as a library or cybercafé.

• Help to become a volunteer or to access community activities.

• Helping a person to be connected to, linked with or signposted to a voluntary agency for support or a more specific support network such as befriending, shopping, transport, advocacy and more.

How do you access the service?

When you contact us, an adviser will refer you to the Living Well Team if you meet the requirements for the service.

For more information, call our Customer Service Centre on: 0300 131 2 131 or visit: www.northyorks.gov.uk/adult-care/living-wellnorth-yorkshire

Social prescribing

Social Prescribers (also known as Link Workers) work alongside GPs and other members of the Primary Care Health Team. You can ask your GP to refer you to a Link Worker in its practice, if you would like to have a conversation about ways to access activities and support to improve your health and enjoyment

Living Well Smokefree

A stop smoking service provided by North Yorkshire Council. Living Well Smokefree has a team of experienced stop smoking advisers, offering face-to-face support as well as remote interventions via telephone and video conferencing.

Interventions include behavioural and motivational support and access to stop smoking medications such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy. The service also offers advice and support around e-cigarettes.

Eligibility criteria

All clients referred to the service will undergo an eligibility check against the following criteria:

• Would like to stop smoking and receive support from the service.

• Is not receiving stop smoking support from another provider.

• Is above the age of 12.

• Is a tobacco smoker that resides in North Yorkshire, works in North Yorkshire or is registered with a GP in North Yorkshire.

Any potential client who does not meet all these criteria will not be eligible to access Living Well Smokefree.

Why would you stop smoking?

Here is what can happen after your last cigarette: in life, such as art activities, group learning, gardening, debt counselling, housing and other practical support.

• 20 minutes after your last cigarette – your pulse returns to normal.

• Eight hours after your last cigarette – your oxygen levels are recovering and harmful carbon monoxide in your blood has halved.

• 48 hours after your last cigarette – your body has flushed out all carbon monoxide and your lungs begin to clear out the waste. Also, your smell and taste improve.

• 72 hours after your last cigarette – your breathing feels easier, and you feel more energetic.

• Up to 12 weeks after your last cigarette – your blood is pumping to your heart and muscles better due to improved circulation.

• Three to nine months after your last cigarette –your lungs are working 10% better and you are coughing and wheezing less.

• One year after your last cigarette – your risk of a heart attack has halved compared to a smoker.

• 10 years after your last cigarette – your risk of death from lung cancer has halved too.

• 15 years after your last cigarette – your risk of heart attack is the same as somebody who has never smoked.

With the right support, you are three times as likely to stop smoking for good.

Referral process

If you would like to access the service, refer somebody else, assist somebody to self-refer, or you would like any further information about Living Well Smokefree, use the following contact details.

Living Well Smokefree

Tel: 01609 797272

Email: stop.smoking@northyorks.gov.uk

Web: www.northyorks.gov.uk/healthy-living/ stopping-smoking