How we help you stay healthy

Pepper Pot aims to provide a comprehensive and high quality health promotion service to enable older people to live more independently in their own homes and enjoy their autumn years in true Caribbean spirit!

The centre has resources from within the community to meet the socio-cultural, emotional, physical and psychological needs of our members, ensuring that each individual enjoys a higher quality of life.

These are our specific aims:

• To promote the self management of people with diabetes or coronary heart disease (CHD) or other long term conditions
• To promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles
• To promote healthy eating
• To support people with lower level mental health needs
• To reduce isolation and improve quality of life
• To support people with long term health conditions

We run Healthy Heart Walk-in consultations

The community heart support service offers fortnightly drop-in consultations for members of the Pepper Pot centre.  They are a small team of nurses with experience in cardiac care. Members have an opportunity to come to the clinic for information about keeping healthy, especially if you have an existing heart problem or related condition. Benefits include:

• Specialist monitoring and symptom control.
• Advice on medication.
• Provision of support closer to home.
• Support for your family to help them understand your condition and how they may be able to help you.

As a member you will have an opportunity to discuss concerns related to your health.

Your blood pressure, heart rate and weight will be monitored. You will be taught how to monitor for changes in your condition. The consultation provided is private and it will be specific to your needs. If you require any special services other than those offered these needs may be considered following a discussion with the nurse.

The nurses want to help you agree a management plan (if this is required) and, with your permission, this can be shared with your GP. This is important as it will ensure we all are aware of any changes in your health and also what information you have been given.

You may be advised to make lifestyle changes to improve your health or improve your symptoms, for example:

• Weigh yourself daily
• Managing your medication
• Reducing salt intake
• Managing fluid retention
• Losing weight
• Stopping smoking
• Reducing your alcohol intake

As well as supporting you, the nurses work in partnership with the respective teams in NHS Central West London Community Services. These include:

• Dieticians
• Diabetes team
• Social workers
• Palliative care teams for end of life support
• Pharmacists
• Occupational therapists
• Spiritual or religious advisors

You can obtain useful information on many conditions, such as:

• Blood pressure
• Living with heart failure
• Test for heart conditions
• Medicine for the heart
• Smoking and the heart
• Palpitations
• Pacemakers
• Eating for your heart

Health Promotion Talks

Pepper Pot also organizes health promotion talks and events designed to be culturally specific to Black and Minority Ethnic groups, and to raise awareness and educate members in relation to prevention and treatment of conditions and diseases that are prevalent in these populations, for example stroke and diabetes. The programmes are designed with the physical, mental and environmental well-being of members uppermost and many members find them both a useful and  friendly forum. The aim is to improve the quality of a member’s time at the centre.

In this spirit, we delivered a comprehensive programme of talks and events on subjects such as prostrate cancer, men’s health, women’s health, prevention of falls, dementia, cardiac care, stroke care, management of medication, symptom control and counselling.