Health and Wellbeing

Hi again!
Thought I'd continue to update while I'm still motivated.

Health and wellbeing

Health definition:
•“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” – World health organisation
•“Health arises from harmony with nature” – ‘Mirage of health’
•“Ill health is precisely located malfunctions of the body” – Greek God Ascelepius
•“Health is equilibrium, illness is an upset” – Hippocrates
•“Health is a combination of factors having a particular effect on an individual” – Ewles and simnett, 1991

Wellness
Definition – An active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence
Process – never arrive at a point where there is no possibility of improving
Aware – we are, by nature, continuously seeking new information so we can improve.
Choices – considered a variety of options and select those that seem to be in our best interest.
Success – determined by each individual to be their personal collection of accomplishments for their life

Health is…
•Achieving optimum function (Seedhouse, D. 1991)
•“I want to be all that I am capable of becoming” (Mansfield, K. 1977)
•A State of optimum capacity for an individual for the effective performance of the role(s) and task(s) for which they have been socialised (parsons, T. 1951)


Social health definition:
•Capability of individuals, families, groups and communities to cope successfully in the face of significant adversity or risk (Social indicators research, 1997)

Mental health definition:
•Feeling good about life and yourself and being able to get on with life in the way you want.
•Not about income but how you feel about your life

Medical model…
•Disease represents a crucial issue facing society
•Diseases are readily diagnosed and counted
•Approach is narrow and implies that people with disabilities are unhealthy and health is only about physical disease and mortality

When you are healthy, you feel…
•Happy
•Motivated
•Feel energetic
•Well

Bodily changes as you get older involve…
•Weight
•Skin/nails
•Hair
•Teeth and bones
•Sleep needs
•Eye sight
•Sexuality (due to physical changes)
•Spirituality and attitudes to life


Popular topics that patients may ask you about…
•Alcohol
•Fitness
•Food/diet
•Healthy eating
•On a budget
•Lose weight
•Military medicine
•Mental health
•Sexual health
•Smoking
•Class of 1948
•Get fit for 2012
•Five a day

Internet sources…
•NHS direct
•Health search engine
•Health direct
•Dh.gov.uk – elect a hospital

What affects your health?

Individual
•Physical health
•Healthy eating
•Motivation to go to the doctors/dentist

Immediate social/physical environment
•Job – is your job physical or sedentary? Is your income enough to afford ‘healthy’ foods?

Wider social/political
•Political – less funding for promoting health? Less funding for equipment or facilities?
•Social acceptance – men in general may not want to admit they are on a diet because of peer pressure or looking stupid (not ‘manly’)
•Petrol prices can influence whether we walk or drive


So there you have it!!
Hope you enjoyed!

Emily