Self care – taking an active role in looking after your own physical health and wellbeing – is an essential part of what we do at AFG to support people to live independent lives and prioritise wellbeing with our amazing colleagues. 

As part of Self Care Week, we’re sharing some of the ways we encourage and promote self care.

Exercise & achievements

Regular exercise is a proven tool to help manage stress and anxiety, as well as improving physical health and reducing the risk of disease.

We encourage the people we support to keep as active as possible, whilst being mindful of their individuals needs and capabilities.

Meet Alex, one of the people we support in Liverpool. He keeps active at his local swimming pool with the support of our frontline colleagues. Not only does this benefit Alex’s physical and mental wellbeing, it gives him a sense of achievement and empowers him to progress and develop his swimming skills on a regular basis.

Building a community & learning a skill

Connecting with like-minded individuals, sharing experiences, and engaging in group activities all contribute to a sense of belonging and feeling socially connected.

One great example of this is a weekly cooking group for people we support led by Shelley, one of our Support Workers.

“I started the cooking group over 10 years ago to help people learn basic life skills and make meals independently, as I saw that this was a gap in many people’s skills.  

The people we support choose a new recipe to cook in each weekly session and they take personal responsibility for buying their own supplies. They then learn to prepare and cook their delicious meal of choice and finish off by eating their food altogether to celebrate their efforts, which is a joy!” – Shelley

Mindfulness & relaxation

We empower the people we support to take individual responsibility for their health and wellbeing by introducing them to new self-care ideas and concepts.

At Meadow Park – one of our Independent Hospitals in Ellesmere Port – our Occupational Therapists facilitate a range of mindfulness sessions, stress management and relaxation classes and exercise sessions.

This encourages them to learn how their daily habits and behaviours impact their overall wellbeing and supports them to make conscious choices to improve their own wellbeing.

Watch to find out about how we promote self-care in our Independent Hospitals…

Prioritising wellbeing at work

Research has found a direct link between poor staff wellbeing and reduced levels of safety for people supported in health and social care.

By hosting regular sessions around both men’s health and women’s health, we empower our colleagues to look after their own wellbeing. Through our employee wellbeing platform, ‘uMatter’, we also offer mental health support, 24/7 Virtual GP consultations and free health & fitness consultations to all our colleagues, creating a workplace culture that places wellbeing at its core.

Find out more about our employee benefits and opportunities.