What is Self Care?

What is Self Care?
WHO has defined “self care” as “the ability of individuals, families and
communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health,
and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a
health-care provider”. The scope of self-care includes health promotion;
disease prevention and control; self-medication, providing care to
dependent persons; seeking hospital/specialist care if necessary; and
rehabilitation including palliative care.
Let’s understand what these words mean by using simple examples:
1. Health promotion activities include eating balanced meals,
doing appropriate and adequate exercise/physical activities, and
actively participating in social activities.

2. Disease prevention activities include children and pregnant
women getting immunized against preventable diseases;
observing personal hygiene such as washing hands; eating, storing and
serving food hygienically, protecting our body from diseases; keeping our
houses and environment clean, avoiding smoking, drinking and drugs; and
having safe sex,

3. Self treatment/medication: using home remedies during sickness, such
as taking fluids like ORS when having diarrhoea, taking a sponge bath, or
paracetamol tablets during fever, etc.

4. Providing care to dependents : This includes taking care of those who cannot
take care themselves, such as new borns and infants, young children, the
elderly and those who are differently abled.

5.Seeking medical assistance: if fever, discomfort, pain or bleeding does not
subside; going to health centre or hospital for professional treatment.

6.Rehabilitation: helping people with disability or having physical difficulties in
the family/community to restore/retain their physical ability. This includes,
but is not limited to, occupational rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation.