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You have answered that your clothes sizes have increased in the last 3-6 months.

If this has happened without you trying to, and is something that you would like help with, you may find that exercising or participating in group activities may help. If you don’t feel confident, we have found going with someone you know might make you feel more comfortable.

East Lothian Council offer a scheme which gives price reductions on sport and leisure activities. To find out more, you can contact your local sports and leisure centre in East Lothian through 'Enjoy Leisure' (Leisure and sports facilities).

For more information about this scheme, please visit www.enjoyleisure.com/ or contact your local facility using one of the numbers below. 

Aubigny Sports Centre - 01620 820650
Dunbar Leisure Pool - 01368 866040
Loch Centre - 01875 824140
Meadowmill Sports Centre - 01875 619079
Mercat Gait Centre - 01875 815483
Musselburgh Sport Centre - 0131 653 5208
North Berwick Sports Centre - 01620 820730

The Enjoy Leisure website, which you can access by visiting www.enjoyleisure.com/, contains information about healthy living, getting active and how to eat healthier. Everything you need to take life on, one step at a time.

Weight management support and advice is available at your GP Surgery, mainly through an appointment with the practice nurse. There is also a weight management service for people whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is over 30. This will require a referral from your GP.

If you are having difficulty with any aspect of taking medicines, then you can ask your GP about the option of a ‘blister pack,' which is a free NHS service.

Blister packs provide clearly marked day and dosage times, and all the medicines you need to take at one time are together in an individual section, making taking medication much easier.

Your GP will provide a prescription and will request that your medication is dispensed on a weekly basis from your local pharmacy. Some pharmacies can arrange delivery of blister packs.

There is also equipment and services that you can privately purchase to help with things like:

• making tablets easier to take out of containers
• remembering to take medicines at the right time
• organising each dose
• alerting that a dose has been missed
• pill crushers

You can find out more about the products available by visiting The Disabled Living Centre, where you can look at and try equipment and get advice about what might work for you.

To find out more and arrange a visit to The Disabled Living Centre, please use the details below.

Contact information
Phone: 0131 537 9190
Address: Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh

You can also visit the independent living shop All Mobility to view and privately purchase medication aids. To get in touch, please use the following information. 

Contact information
Phone: 0131 629 0081
Address: 187 North High Street, Musselburgh, EH21 6AN

The East Lothian Council Community Alarm Telecare Service can also offer some technology options to remind you to take you medication.

Options include:

• a reminder message that can be recorded onto your Community Alarm Home Unit
• an automatic medication dispenser that will bleep to let you know your tablets are due

This equipment can be linked to the Community Response Team at the alarm-receiving centre (ARC), or it can be provided not-linked (stand-alone). A small charge may apply for this service.

To refer for this service, please contact our Adult Well-being Social Work team on 01875 824309.

If you wish to stop smoking there are people you can contact for help with this.

There is a freephone NHS smoking helpline 0800 022 4332, open seven days a week 7am to 11pm.

If you wish to stop smoking in East Lothian, you may find the Support to Quit Smoking service of benefit, which can be contacted on 0131 537 9914.

NHS support for people trying to quit smoking is available at all community pharmacies, and there are also drop in clinics at community centres, run by a team of specialist nurses who can be very flexible in providing face to face or telephone support to both individuals and groups. For more information, please visit www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/HealthInformation/HealthAwareness/Smoking/SupportToQuit/Pages/default.

You can also contact Stop For Life on the above local number or text or phone 07771 975 453. The areas that are covered are:

• Dunbar
• East Linton
• Gullane
• Haddington
• Musselburgh
• Newcraighall
• North Berwick
• Prestonpans
• Tranent
• Wallyford
  

You have mentioned that you may be feeling stressed, anxious or low. See some suggestions below.

Your local library may have useful healthy reading material. Healthy reading can be helpful for people to overcome and cope with problems such as: anxiety, depression, stress, dementia, eating disorders, bereavement, panic.

For more information, please visit www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210562/libraries.

The Royal Voluntary Service is a volunteer led organisation that helps older people in the area. We provide individual support and their services include good neighbours and transport, a resource centre in Haddington, as well as befriending and social clubs. 

If you'd like to find out more or get in touch, please use the details below.

Contact information
Website: Royal Voluntary Service
Email: edinburghcityhub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
Phone:  01875 811 011

The Samaritans offer a free and confidential helpline. You are able to talk to them any time you like, in your own way, and off the record, about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal. Please phone on 08457 90 90 90.

You may also be able to speak to someone face to face. If this is something you'd be interested in, please contact your local branch for further information. To find out more information and where your closest branch is, please visit www.samaritans.org/branches/.

You have answered that you don’t go out as often as you used to as you don’t feel as steady or you cannot walk as far as you need to.

For details of services that provide scooters and wheelchairs for rental or purchase, please visit www.all-mobility.co.uk. Alternatively, Glenmore Mobility also have a range of scooters and wheelchairs available, to find out more please visit www.glenmoremobility.com.

The British Red Cross also offer a wheelchair loan service. If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch using the details below.

Contact information
Website: British Red Cross
Phone: 0131 6609 372
Address: 131 High Street, Dalkeith, EH22 1BE

Shopmobility is a free wheelchair service is now available at Fort Kinnaird. If you'd like to use this, please get in touch using the details below.

Contact information
Website: Shopmobility
Phone: 0131 557 4123

You can also check with your local supermarket as they often have scooters available in store, or offer assistance with shopping for those with mobility difficulties.

The Disabled Living Centre offers free, impartial advice about a wide range of assistive equipment. The service also has an extensive range of catalogues and leaflets relating to daily living activities and equipment, as well as a list of local suppliers.

The OT there can also advise on and demonstrate specific equipment and there may be the opportunity for you to trial equipment.

You don’t need to be referred, you can just contact them directly.

For advice or to arrange an appointment, please use the details below. 

Contact information
Phone: 0131 537 9190
Address: SMART Centre, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh

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• Home Visiting Opticians - East Lothian

CHANGES Community Health Project promotes the positive well-being of people living in East Lothian. If you feel you're not coping as well as you'd like and are looking for ways of moving forward, then CHANGES can help.

You can contact CHANGES Community Health Project by using the information below.

Contact information
Website: CHANGES
Email: info@changeschp.org.uk
Phone: 0131 653 3977

You can also contact your GP to discuss any feelings of stress, anxiety or low mood, and discuss a range of treatment options including referral to specialist services.

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