YHT Skills
Build life-skills so you know how to take care of you! Everything from talking to health providers to building good health habits!
Take Care of You
What does it mean to take care of you?
Do your parents manage your healthcare? Are your caregivers responsible for ordering your prescriptions, making appointments and talking to your doctor or nurse? If so, you may need to discuss sharing these tasks.
One transition tool you might already have is a cell phone! Keep your provider information in your contacts, take a picture of your health history to have on hand for appointments. Use the calendar to manage your appointments and the alarm for medication or treatment reminders.
If you have a smartphone, health and transition apps are at your fingertips! Check out this YHT developed by McMaster University - My Transition App!
Learning to manage your health and your health care can take a while, so be patient with yourself. Learn about your health needs so you can 'Take Care of You'!
Self-Advocacy
Self- Advocacy means the ability to share your likes, dislikes, needs, and goals with others.
Being a self-advocate is an important part of being an adult. If you can't communicate your thoughts and needs, who will?
Can you tell others your opinion? Are you able to express your feelings during discussions? Do you ever think "How should I feel about this?"
YHT is a great time to explore your passions and learn how to advocate for them. You can add self-advocacy as a goal for your transition plan. Check out the SmoothMovesYHT Advocacy page for tips on speaking up and skill builder activities.
Health and Wellness Skills
Know Your Health History
Your health history (or medical history) is a summary of your overall health and healthcare experiences. This summary includes any surgeries, health conditions (like asthma or diabetes), immunizations (like flu and measles shots), and any allergies you have. Whenever you visit a new doctor you will need to know your health history.
If you want to learn more about your health history you can start by asking your parent or guardian questions and record the information in a medical summary form or start a health history notebook. You can also use the CDC's web-based Family Health Portrait tool.
Knowing any health conditions and being able to explain it to others is important to your well-being. If you have a smart phone, keep a picture of your health history. This can be a real time saver when filling out forms at medical appointments.
Promote Wellness
Wellness means keeping your body in shape and feeling good. Making healthy choices is a great way to promote wellness to yourself and those closest to you. Healthy choices are things like eating healthy, thinking positive, being active, and taking your medications and treatments as ordered. Promoting wellness and starting good health habits benefit all!
Did you know these facts from the CDC?
- 25% of students have a health condition
- 21% of teens aged 12 to 19 are obese
- Over 27% of high school students use at least 1 tobacco product
- Only 20% of US adolescents meet guidelines for aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening activity.
While wellness may look different for every person, everyone benefits from physical activity and making smart choices like not smoking. Make sure to discuss with your health care providers your choices and health goals to be sure that they are appropriate.
If you are in a bit of a health slump (physically or emotionally) and want to start making changes, add wellness to your YHT goals.
Skill building Links
Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Make healthy decisions about what you eat and drink, how active you are, and how much you sleep. Get the down-low on staying healthy from the experts at the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Preventive care includes health services like screenings, check-ups, and counseling used to prevent illness and health problems. Get expert advice on staying healthy from the
American Academy of Family Physicians.
Create a Family Health Portrait CDC Online Tool
Adolescent and Young Adults: Getting the Preventative Services You Need
Create a Family Health Portrait CDC Online Tool
The US Surgeon General's "My Family Health Portrait" is an internet-based tool that makes it easy for you to record your family health history. Using My Family Health Portrait you can enter your family health history, share it with family and providers and update it over time.