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National Council on Aging logo. We believe every person deserves to age well. That’s why we’re on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030.

Evidence-Based Program: Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) (In-person)

Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (In-person) is an interactive workshop for those living with one or more physical or mental health chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, depression, etc. Participants learn skills to manage their conditions on a day to day basis: exercise, healthy eating, symptom management (pain, fatigue, sleep, shortness of breath, stress and depression), weight loss, and communication skills. Core self-management skills taught include action planning, problem solving and decision making.

  • Target audience: Adults, 18 years and older, living with one or more chronic conditions
  • Health outcomes:
    • Improved health behaviors (exercise, medication adherence, communication with health professionals)
    • Reduced symptoms (pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, depression)
    • Reduced health care utilization (ED visits, physician visits hospital days)
  • Delivered by: 2 trained peer facilitators
  • Program type: Group
  • Format: In person
  • Length: 6 weekly, 2.5-hour sessions
  • Training: In-person
  • Professional required: No
  • Accessibility adaptations available: Yes
  • Cultural adaptations available: Yes
  • Available in languages other than English: French Canadian, Chinese, French, Italian, Hmong, Hindi, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Creole-Haitian, Finnish, Danish, Samoan, Tongan. For Spanish and Portuguese see Tomando Control de Su Salud.
  • Topic(s):
    • Chronic Disease
    • Falls Prevention
    • Medication Management
    • Nutrition
    • Pain Management
    • Physical Activity
  • ContactContact the Self-Management Resource Center

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