Millions of people are hospitalized every year with health issues stemming from poor wellness and illnesses ranging from diabetes to severe depression. As healthcare providers, we regularly see so much pain and suffering that is entirely preventable. However, we all know that just because these health issues are preventable does not mean they are easy to avoid. In a world full of unhealthy foods and digital screens that take all our time and attention, it is more difficult than ever before to stay healthy. That is why it is also more important than ever before to give patients all the advice and tools they need to achieve wellness.
One of the biggest hurdles facing US healthcare today is a lack of quality healthcare providers out there to educate patients, especially nurses. If you are passionate about helping people transform their lives and want to equip others with the vital knowledge to make this crucial change, pursuing a nurse educator online program at the University of Indianapolis is a great path to take. Becoming a nurse educator allows you to directly improve the patient experience by giving nurses the support necessary to succeed in their roles. Indianapolis’ MSN-NE programs for registered nurses looking to advance their careers. This program is 100% online, which means you can stay in your full-time job while studying.
In many cases, nurses are the first to meet and evaluate patients when they are admitted to hospitals and will check in on them throughout their stay. This gives nurses a unique opportunity to help develop those good habits that ultimately lead to positive overall wellness.
Nutrition is among the most challenging yet most important habits to build. What you eat directly influences your overall health, starting with your weight. Being overweight can lead to cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and even some forms of cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight will significantly raise a patient’s likelihood of reaching positive wellness, although there is much more to wellness than just eating the right foods.
Exercising on a regular basis is critical to keeping one’s body in good shape. In addition to improving your physical appearance, moving your body will reduce your health risks, help you maintain a healthy weight, and has even been shown to lead to a longer life. Encouraging patients to get up and move every day, even if it is a walk around the block, can help them tremendously. For some, physical activity can promote improved mood, which plays into the last of these good habits: mental wellness.
Ignored by many patients, mental health can debilitate some patients so severely that food and exercise are simply not enough. This is also the toughest habit to develop, as everyone’s brain is wired differently and improving mental health is not black and white. If you are struggling to help patients in this specific area, tell them about these simple tips and bring in a qualified professional.
So many people need the extra push to get to where they need to go to improve their lifestyle. Those of us in healthcare can provide that extra push to turn their lives around completely and reach positive overall wellness. In many ways, it falls on us to give patients the advice they need to hear. This advice might even save their life.
