“People getting lazy” with self-care due to confusing health messages

A Lincolnshire Councillor said “people are getting lazy” when it comes to self-care because of mixed messages over what is and isn’t good for them.

Councillor Hugo Marfleet praised a Lincolnshire Integrated Care Partnership report on Tuesday, however, said it was missing “the one thing we never ever talk about… how individuals should look after themselves”.

“We are talking about the concept of focusing on the symptoms and not the causes, but actually all of this is about actually people getting lazy and not understanding”

He then quickly uttered: “Not also lazy… what’s health eating now? Most of us, they’ve got lost – coffee’s good for you, coffee’s bad for you, this is good for you, that’s bad for you.

“In the end we contradict so much that the public doesn’t really know where it stands. We need to bring back that public should take ownership of looking after yourself, because otherwise you’re going to be on a slippery slope of ill health.”

“We are always getting worse at trying to rectify everything, and the NHS and everyone else has to suffer, because people have stopped taking respect of their own bodies.”

He went on to say his own self-care was “not an easy task” and came “with sacrifice,” but said that once people “got in the mode” it became easier.

“You just don’t have McDonald’s every day,” he said, to which partnership chairman Councillor Sue Woolley responded “or cake”.

Councillor Hugo Marfleet speaking during the meeting on Tuesday.

Michelle Andrews, Lincolnshire County Council’s Assistant Director for the Integrated Care Strategy said self help was a “key message” across all organisations.

She said it included budgetary issues, as well as “all the other challenges people, families and residents will face over the comping months.”

“Having many organisations giving you many different messages is really hard to digest and understand which is the most important to coming together collectively,” she said.

“Giving some clear, concise messages about what are the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is something we can really easily do with as we go forward together.”

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