Health Literacy Awareness
Join the health literacy movement!
We’re passionate about Health Literacy! So, over the last few years we've been raising awareness about the effects low health literacy has on patients and our community. Positive health outcomes increase when people “truly understanding” what and why their doing something for their health.
We’d love your help spreading the word about this important issue. If you’d like to become a health literacy champion, there are a number of ways you can get involved; including handing out "Teach Back" cards to patients and colleagues or registering for one of our FREE Health literacy workshops. To help put things in perspective please have a look at the Health Literacy Overview below.
Health Literacy Overview.
This means that many patients do not have the knowledge to manage their health or health-care needs. Health Literacy is defined as a persons’ ability “to access, understand, evaluate and communicate information as a way to promote, maintain and improve health in a variety of settings across the life course.”
In other words, health literacy is more than just reading and writing. It’s about how people find, understand, use and share information to make decisions about their health. For health professionals, practicing health literacy includes a responsibility to communicate clearly and effectively with patients (both verbally and non-verbally). It also requires checking for understanding and empowering patients to make informed health related action plans.
Low health literacy is linked to poor health outcomes, increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations and fewer connections to preventative care services. Unfortunately, it also means higher mortality rates for seniors.
To learn more about our programs or talk about how we can work together to promote health literacy please connect with Sally Boyle at 519-550-0046 or sally.boyle@ontariohealth.ca
60%
of Canadians have low health literacy!
More Health Literacy Awareness
Stay on track with
"Teach Back"
What are you doing to help your patients stay on track? Print our Teach Back Cards.
Join a Health Literacy Workshop
This interactive workshop gives participants tools to practice skills and problem solve around barriers.
Real People.
Real Stories
Become a health literacy advocate by promoting the importance of making health information understandable.
Health Literacy Resources
With support from
Phone
519-421-5691
or 1-855-463-5692 (toll-free)
Workshops
Navigate
Land Acknowledgement Statement
We acknowledge that South West Self Management is situated on unceded traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples and is connected to the Dish with One Spoon wampum, under which multiple nations agreed to care for the land and its resources by the Great Lakes in peace.
