• The workshop, created for national usage by Stanford University, is for individuals working through chronic illness and their caregivers
Thayne Branch Library is offering a six-week workshop to support individuals with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. Healthy U workshop sessions will take place every Tuesday through March 11 from 1-3:30 p.m. in the Thayne Senior Center at 115 Petersen Parkway.
Offered through the Wyoming Center on Aging, Healthy U was developed at Standford University for individuals who need support to manage chronic illness and improve their health in spite of the challenges related to their illness.
Kelsey Richards, Thayne Branch Library Manager, and Lizzy Lasen, who manages the Star Valley Branch Library in Afton, are teaming up to present the course, providing information and materials during workshop sessions.
Richards described the workshop as a “self-management program. We’ll be having discussing different aspects of being healthy and taking care of your health with specific focus on chronic health conditions.”
Workshop participants will be given the tools and information to help them establish personal goals to improve their health and quality of life, and the systems that they will need to apply to achieve those goals. “We’ll encourage people to choose the things that they want to change and improve in managing their health.”
Workshop content is based on the book “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions,” which was created specifically for the Healthy U program. Authored by a panel of physicians specializing in the care of chronic illness, the book outlines various strategies for supporting, maintaining and improving the overall health of individuals who face chronic conditions. Developed specifically for this course. The course also part of a national
Folks interested in the workshop are invited to enroll with the QR code on the event flyer. “Anyone who is a caregiver or family member can sign up as well.
“I went through this as part of my training,” said Richards. “It’s really about you taking small steps to improve your health. We’re giving you the information and some tools and suggestions, but it’s really about you making choices about what you want to do to improve your health, specifically facing a chronic condition, working so that you can feel better and live the way you want to live.”
