Health and wellbeing advice

It sounds obvious but having a balanced diet is crucial for good health and energy and to prevent illness.

• There are lots of cheap and tasty ways you and your family can eat well every day.  The NHS website has tips and advice on eating well. You can also visit the Better Health - healthier families website to get ideas aimed at helping you to lead a healthier life.

• If you are having difficulty preparing food, or with eating and drinking, there may be equipment or aids that can help. Visit the kitchen of our Equipment House for some ideas.

• If you are having difficulty shopping for food, our Shopping page has information which may help.
  
  
• Losing weight is not a natural part of getting older and undernutrition can lead to illness. Age UK have produced a Healthy eating guide which you can print.  If you, or someone you are caring for, is losing weight and you are concerned, you should speak to your GP. Your local pharmacist may also be able to give you some advice.

• BAPEN have developed a simple online self-screening tool you can use along with advice to follow if you are at risk of becoming malnourished. 
  
  
• If you can't afford to buy enough food, you may be able to get some short-term help from your local food bank. You will need a voucher to use a food bank. To find out where you can get a voucher, contact your local food bank or phone the Citizens Advice national phone service on 03444 111 444.
  
  Community pantries provide groceries at a lower rate than shops and supermarkets. Access to the Community pantry is through membership. Members make a small weekly contribution and receive food with a higher value than the same items would cost elsewhere.
  
  Find your local food bank or community pantry.

Meals on wheels service    

Meals on wheels services are offered by your local authority, subject to certain eligibility criteria:

• Hampshire County Council Meals on Wheels Service
• Portsmouth City Council Meals on Wheels Service
• Southampton City Council Meals on Wheels Service

It is very important, especially for older people, to make sure that you drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Dehydration is a common cause of hospital admission for older people. It can lead to urinary tract infections and make the symptoms of other illnesses worse.

Watch our short video about the importance of staying hydrated – information, tips and myths.

• If you are having difficulty drinking, there may be equipment which can help. Visit the kitchen of our Equipment House for some ideas.
• If you are worried about an older person who is not drinking enough, this easy to follow e-learning course on Hydration in Older People has some useful advice and tips. (N.B. Just click on 'Play' and then 'Continue'. You do not need to register or log in).

Incontinence can be very distressing. However, it is far more common than you may think and there is a lot of information and support available. There are  simple lifestyle or dietary changes that you can make to prevent incontinence and many ways to manage it so that it does not affect your everyday life.

 Information 

• Information and advice about incontience from Age UK
• An overview of urinary incontinence from the NHS – including a ‘Bladder self-assessment’
• An overview of bowel incontinence from the NHS
• Can I get incontinence products on the NHS?  
• Kegel exercises for urinary incontinence
• Pelvic floor exercise video from the NHS
• A guide for those caring for someone with Dementia and incontinence

Support 

• Bladder and Bowel UK has online information and resources, as well as a national helpline offering advice about a range of bladder and bowel conditions -  0161 214 4591. You can also order "Just Can't Wait" cards from them at no cost.
• Bladder Health UK offer support and advice including a confidential advice line 0121 702 0820.
• Incontinence UK offers advice, product guides and an interactive forum offering advice from experts and members of the public.
• Continence service from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
• Continence service from Solent NHS Trust
• The Changing Places Toilet map is a directory of publicly available disabled friendly toilets and changing facilities across the UK.
• The RADAR National Key Scheme (NKS) offers disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country.

We're all responsible for our health and regular health checks are vital.  

• If you're aged 40 to 74, you may be eligible for a free NHS health check. Find out where you can have your NHS Health Check in Hampshire.
• Anyone who is on their GP's learning disability register can have a free health check once a year. You can ask to go on this register if you think you have a learning disability.
• Annual physical health checks are also available for people registered with their GP as having a severe mental illness. You should be invited annually for a health check but if you think you are due one, you should contact your GP surgery.

The NHS Better Health website has information and advice to help you with all aspects of your physical and mental health. Check your own health by taking the How are You? quiz.

Make sure you get your annual flu jab. These will usually be free if you are over 65, have certain medical conditions or are a carer. If you are in one of these groups and are not invited for a flu jab, contact your GP.

To keep your risk of alcohol related harm low men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis. It’s good to spread out your drinking evenly over 3 or more days. If you’re trying to cut down on the amount you drink, it’s a good idea to have several alcohol-free days each week.  

• Hampshire County Council's Rethink Your Drink pages have useful resources and top tips
• Better Health offers free information and advice on easy ways to gradually drink less. 
• Drink Coach has a free, quick and confidential online test to find out how risky your drinking is. 
• Inclusion Recovery Hampshire provide a local confidential alcohol helpline for people who want further support: 0300 303 3539

It’s important to seek to get medical advice before you stop drinking if you have physical withdrawal symptoms (like shaking, sweating or feeling anxious until you have your first drink of the day). It can be dangerous to stop drinking too quickly without proper help.

Drug use has very clear effects on health and wellbeing. FRANK's A to Z gives information about the effects and impact of different drugs. The NHS website has comprehensive information about drugs and drug addiction

Do you need help and support?

Whether you’re worried about yourself or a loved one, there is lots of local support and advice available.

If you need help with an alcohol or drug problem you can contact the Hampshire  treatment services for adults or young people.  These are easy to find in local centres across the county.

Hampshire:

• Inclusion Recovery Hampshire: drug and alcohol treatment service for adults over 25 years old. Telephone 0300 124 0103
• Hampshire 24/7 : drug and alcohol treatment service for young people aged under 25 years old. Telephone 0800 599 9591

Portsmouth:

• Recovery Hub support for adults: 02392 294 573
• Drug and Alcohol Support Service for Young People (DASS) for those under 19: 07951 497898 or 07557 753131.

Southampton

• Change, Grow, Live Southampton for adults over 25 years old. Contact our dedicated alcohol support line: 02382 002 764
• Drugs Alcohol Support & Health (DASH) for young people under 25: 02380 224 224

You may want to talk to your GP about your drinking or drug taking. Your GP will listen to you and assess the nature of your problems. They will help you choose suitable treatment and support options which are available. They might offer to treat you or refer you to your local specialist alcohol and drug service.

Further information and advice:

• Alcohol 
  Drinkline is a free national helpline. Call 0300 123 1110. 
  Alcoholics Anonymous has a national helpline 0800 9177 650.
• Drugs
  Talk to FRANK for information, support and live chat. Call 0300 123 6600. 
  Narcotics Anonymous has a national helpline 0300 999 1212.
• For those affected by someone else’s alcohol or drug use 
  Parent Support Link offers information and advice as well as support groups across Hampshire for anyone affected by someone else's drug or alcohol use. Call 023 8039 9764. 
  Al-Anon  provides support and advice for those affected by someone else's drinking. Call 0800 008 6811. 
  Adfam provides support for families affected by drugs or alcohol. 
  NHS information for families of drug users .

Now is the right time to quit. Every cigarette causes you real harm and quitting smoking is healthier for you and your family. Smokefree Hampshire is committed to helping smokers who live or work in Hampshire who want to quit. Visit the:

• Smoke free Hampshire website
• call 01264 563039 or 0800 772 3649
• text Quit to 66777
• email smokefree.hampshire@nhs.net 

Tailored support to help you quit – including access to free Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your overall health. Becoming overweight or obese increases your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Find information and advice to help you lose weight.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) is working with Thrive Tribe, under the name Gloji to provide free support for people who want to lose weight. To qualify for this support, you need to meet a certain criteria and be a Hampshire resident (excluding Southampton or Portsmouth) or registered with a Hampshire GP.

Mental health needs can affect anyone, of any age or background and at any time of our life. See our Mental health page to find information and support.

The NHS has information and advice on Women's health, wellbeing, screenings and menopause.

Menopause affects anyone who has periods, and symptoms can have a big impact of your life, including relationships and work. Help and support is available from the NHS and other organisations.

Find organisations in Hampshire that support women's health.

The Men’s Health Forum is a charity supporting men's health in England, Wales and Scotland. You can find fast, free independent advice online as well as manuals and free downloads.

UK Men's Sheds are community spaces for men to connect, converse and create.

Sleeping well is essential if you are to stay well and feel good. It is especially important if you lead a busy life, are coping with illness or stress or if you are caring for someone else. Our mental wellbeing can seriously impact our sleep.

If you are having sleep problems, it is important that you understand what is causing this and take steps to sleep better.

• Every Mind Matters has advice and tips to help you sleep better
  
  
• The Mental Health Foundation also has information to help you improve your sleep.
  
  
• TalkPlus have produced a video - Getting better sleep
  
  
• The National Sleep Helpline is a confidential service that offers trained sleep advisers, Sunday - Thursday, 7pm - 9pm. Call 03303 530 541
  

• The Sleep Charity has information and advice to help you with: 
  - Your sleep environment
  - Signs of  sleep deprivation
  - Shift work
  - Road safety fatigue
  - Sleep disorders
  - Sleep hygiene

• There are also apps and online programmes  you could try, such as Sleep Cycle,  Sleepstation, Sleepio

If your sleep problems are affecting your health or daily life, you should peak to your GP.

See our top tips and advice for staying independent.

• You can find videos on a wide range of health and care topics on Healthtalk.org and in this Health and Care video library