Stay Healthy
Keeping well
Make sure you have your flu jab
Flu can be a severe illness that can lead to serious complications – especially for older people, the very young, pregnant women and those with long-term health conditions.
Those eligible to receive a free flu vaccination on the NHS this year are:
- people aged 65 or over
- all pregnant women
- people living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
- those in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
- people aged from six months to less than 65 who have certain medical conditions;
- all two and three-year-olds (nasal spray vaccine) and
- all children in school years reception, 1, 2, 3 4 and 5 (nasal spray vaccine).
If you don't qualify for a free flu jab, many local pharmacies and some supermarkets are also offering the vaccine.
For details visit the Government's Winter Flu page.
If you become unwell ‘Choose Well’
Make sure you choose the right NHS service to make sure you get the best treatment and don’t forget, your pharmacist can give you good advice too.
NHS Choices is an excellent source of information about health, healthy living, and care and support.
Eat well eat regularly
Eat healthy meals to keep your energy levels up and include hot food and drinks. Stock up on vegetables, fruit, rice and tinned foods for when it’s too cold to venture out to the shops. Healthy eating advice can be found on the NHS Live Well site.
Carers
Most care in the local community is provided free of charge by families, friends and neighbours. A carer is someone who looks after an older person, someone with a disability or someone who is ill who wouldn't be able to live in the community without their help.
As well as providing services directly to carers, including carers assessments, we work closely with voluntary and statutory agencies which provide help, support and information for carers.
For full details phone 0300 123 5010 or view the information for Carers page.
Stay active
Our Health Improvement Team runs a variety of programmes in partnership with Age UK and Housing Associations. For more information phone 01270 686435.
Get out and get active when the weather allows
Our Leisure Centres and swimming pools have some great fitness activities for all ages. Our most senior user is over 100, so there’s something to suit most tastes. Call 0300 123 5018 or visit the Everybody Leisure pages.
Dementia support and advice
There are many types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. The Alzheimer's Society website contains information on the different types of dementia and useful information about caring for someone with dementia.
Don’t be S.A.D. this winter
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can affect as many as a third of us. If you feel unusually lethargic or are experiencing any kind of depression during the winter months, please seek the help of a health professional sooner rather than later. For more information visit the SAD website for mental health information visit the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust or contact your G.P.
Get involved in social activities
This winter there’s a lot going on in Cheshire East ranging from Christmas lights ‘Switch Ons’ and Craft Sessions to Farmers Markets and ‘learn to dance’ sessions. There are plenty of Carol Concerts and Church services too. For a round up of all our winter events see our ‘What’s On’ Winter pages.
Visit your local library
Stock up on your free winter reading - you can also borrow music and films at your local library for a small charge. They also have computers which you can use free and some libraries can also help you get on the internet and use e-mail too.
Libraries are always looking for volunteers to help people get online, so if you’ve got a little bit of time to spare and you can help why not get involved and ‘give an hour’? Just contact your local library for more details. Call 0300 123 5018 or visit our Libraries pages.
More information
Local radio stations
Page last reviewed: 05 February 2020