Preventive Health Care
Wellness & Self-Care
A wellness and self-care program can improve the present state of health and reduce the risk of illness and injury by affecting the lifestyle choices of employees and facilitating more meaningful interaction with healthcare providers.
A wellness and self-care program provides appropriate health information to employees when they can best act on it. A multidiscipline team of experts provides information on:
- medical condition (tests, diagnosis, treatment)
- nutrition & fitness
- medication (effects and side-effects)
- accessing counselling resources
- accessing community resources
- accessing medical resources (public and private)
Most benefit programs spend very little on preventing poor health.
Medical expenses are eligible if they treat an illness or injury (not prevent it). The focus is on disease management instead of disease prevention.
A wellness and self-care program costs approximately $1.50 monthly per employee.
Eliminate Risky Habits
- smoking cessation
- drinking cessation
- treat eating disorders
- avoid fatty foods, caffeine & salt
- safety training
Physical Fitness
- nutritious diet
- aerobic exercise
- proper rest
- ergonomics
- back care
- health screening
Mental Fitness
- stress management
- time management
- conflict resolution
- positive relationships
- relaxation
Implementation
It can take 20 weeks to replace a bad habit with a good one.
Employers can encourage good habits by making the choice easy to make.
- hotline to wellness and self-care experts
- audit the menu of your cafeteria
- subsidize accessible fitness programs
- provide time management software
- promote counselling services
- regular lunch and learn days
- disseminate information from health associations
It is critical that the wellness program be convenient, done on company time and have participation incentives.
Wellness & Self-Care Information Request
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