A rewarding life and good health is about more than just avoiding illness. It is about managing your day-to-day life, even in the event of illness, injury and/or disability.
The overall aim of the learning and coping skills services is to promote health and quality of life. The services that are available vary in terms of their form and content; they can be individual or group-based or be based on multidisciplinary collaboration. It is your needs that will determine which service is best suited to your needs. Learning and coping skills services form part of a comprehensive range of treatments for you as a user, patient or next of kin.
User participation is pivotal to the learning and coping skills services. This means that many of the services are put together and implemented in a close partnership between professionals and experienced users who have overcome or currently live with health challenges themselves. This helps to ensure that the services meet the needs of the participants.
The benefits of sharing experiences
Living with the challenges and worries that often accompany illness or injury can be challenging. Most aspects of a person’s life are affected, as are the lives of their friends and family. If you become ill, it is common to become insecure. Much is new and unknown, and what used to be routine may need to be considered in a new light. The learning and coping skills centre will provide support in such situations. Information, teaching, guidance and the exchange of experiences are key aspects of the service.
Participation in learning and coping skills activities can have a major impact on how the participants view their life and health challenges. Greater awareness and insight into one’s own situation can help to make everyday life feel more secure and manageable.
Many learning and coping skills activities take place in groups. Many people find it helpful to meet other people who are in the same situation in order to be understood and speak to those who have been through similar challenges. It can give people a sense of support and community, as well as hope for the future.
Participation in such activities has been shown to result in fewer and shorter hospital admissions and fewer sick days.
Services provided by hospitals and municipalities
As a user, patient or next of kin, you are entitled to receive sufficient information and follow-up. If you are wondering what learning and coping skills services are available where you live, you can contact the learning and coping skills centre at your nearest hospital or the health service in your municipality. In many cases, you will need to be referred by a doctor in order to take part in an activity. Your GP or the doctor treating you at the hospital should be able to help you with this.
Today, learning and coping skills activities are offered by both hospitals and municipalities, as well as by the voluntary and private sectors. Many hospitals and municipalities work together to offer learning and coping skills activities as part of their efforts to offer a comprehensive range of high-quality services.
You can also find out more on the website of the National resource centre for learning and coping tools within health (NKLMH, in Norwegian).
Overview of municipal learning and coping skills services (mestring.no, in Norwegian)
E-learning
Some examples of e-learning offers concerning different diagnoses (in Norwegian):