Living with an asbestos-related condition

Self-management Toolkit

CAA, with funding from Alliance Scotland, has produced a self-management Toolkit for those diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition. The Toolkit aims to address any concerns that individuals may experience following a diagnosis of an asbestos-related condition.

The Toolkit contains 4 Booklets and a DVD

  • Common Investigations
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Managing Breathlessness
  • Hints and Tips

Self-management 

Self management is about people living with long term conditions being in ‘the driving seat’. It supports people to live their lives better, on their terms.

Self management supports and encourages people living with long term conditions to access information and to develop skills to find out what’s right for their condition and, most importantly, right for them.

Life can be better with self management. Being told you have a condition for which there may be no cure can be devastating. Individuals respond in individual ways. It can often have a profound impact on a person’s well-being and self-esteem.

Together with health professionals and others who provide support, self management can help people to make decisions that are right for their life. alliance-scotland.org.uk

Download – pdf

Common Investigations

If you have attended your GP recently with symptoms such as breathlessness or pain then there is the possibility that you may have to undergo some investigations.

The investigations will help doctors ensure that an accurate diagnosis is reached and that any asbestos related condition is managed in the best possible way.

You will be able to read about some of the more common investigations patients may be referred for in this booklet.

FAQ Toolkit1
Download – pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

It can be difficult to take in all of the information that your doctor tells you about your diagnosis and you may have questions about your illness; how to manage it and where to go for information and support. As there are different asbestos related conditions, it is important that you know not only the name of your condition, but understand it.

Frequently asked questions were taken from our support group members and may help to answer some of your concerns. Knowing what you have been diagnosed with will help you to address any concerns that you have about your health.

Toolkit managing breathlessness
Download – pdf

Managing Breathlessness

If you get breathless doing everyday activities such as walking, using stairs or doing housework, there are tips and techniques that you can learn that can help you to manage this. Making small changes to how you organise your day, or considering if there are any changes you can make to your lifestyle can also be beneficial

Toolkit hints and tips
Download – pdf

Hints and Tips

The hints and tips that have been included in this leaflet have been provided by our support group members.

The groups were asked to share any small changes they had made to their daily routine that had helped them to manage their condition.

Some of the hints and tips may not be relevant to your circumstances and some may seem like common sense, however, the advice may give you some ideas of how you can make small, useful changes to your own routine.

The Toolkit includes a DVD

Self-management

dvd sm

It can be viewed here: