4 Ways to Empower Healthier Living and Outcomes in Chronic Illness

Carey Kauffman
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

It’s no secret that achieving a healthy lifestyle is even more critical for anyone with a desire to enjoy life ‘just like everyone’ else who is living with a chronic illness. Whether a rare disease or a more ‘common’ diagnosis, getting the most out out “what you have” is the best way to prevent compounding existing health concerns with additional ones, and to optimize short and long-term health and well-being.

If that’s the case, why aren’t more people paying attention? One of the greatest challenges individuals, families and caregivers face living with daily ills, pains and treatments is how disempowering the world they live in becomes. To inspire sustainable change, we need to internalize how we can more effectively empower these individuals at home, at work, in our communities and at the point of care by changing how we communicate, treat and support them over time.

Whether you are a corporate executive, clinician, caregiver or individual living with an illness, the foundation to transform health and well-being is built on taking action in 4 key areas:

#1 Nurture An Empowerment Mentality

Challenge: Living with a chronic disease is often about what is being done to me (passive) versus what I can do to impact my health and well-being (action-oriented).

Approach: Focus on helping people think critically about their own well-being, access personalized health insights and proactively engage in their care or support team to make informed, autonomous decisions with a ‘can-do’ attitude.

#2 Engage the Whole Person

Challenge: Internalizing that a diagnosis is what you have, not who you are is fundamental to personal growth and overall well-being.

Approach: While clinical treatment and management are critically important, non-clinical treatment and management (AKA the choices we make every day that impact our health from stress and relationships to foods and exercise and more) may provide much greater impact on health outcomes beyond just complementing existing treatments for a specific disease.

#3 Energize Team Support

Challenge: Engaging an individual’s family and/or support team (what I like to call a ‘circle of care’) in making incremental behavioral lifestyle changes together where possible is essential to sustain healthy changes over the long haul — for everyone, not just the one with the chronic illness.

Approach: Following treatment protocols and making lifestyle changes alone can be isolating, whereas being an integral partner in a supportive team can be motivating at least and invigorating at best — and a powerful motivator for everyone!

#4 Expand View & Impact to 360º Full Circle

Challenge: When primary or sole focus is on treating a chronic illness, the basics of staying healthy often fall by the wayside. Over time, this can compound current health issues and create new ones to overcome.

Approach: The needs of people with a chronic illness go far beyond a diagnosis. A healthier body is better equipped to fight off or handle infections, assaults and wear and tear. A healthier mind more effectively copes with daily battles. A healthier spirit provides a stronger foundation to build strengths — which is the best support for well-being long-term.

According to the CDC, higher levels of well-being are associated with a decreased risk of illness, better immune function, speedier recovery, increased longevity, work productivity and likelihood of contribution to their communities.

Whether looking to create a healthier work culture, support others in positively impacting their own health, or take steps for your own well-being, establishing a mindset of health awareness and accountability (H2A) is hard. Change is hard. But it is possible if you get your head in the game from the start — and it’s worth it!

Carey Kauffman

Written by

I’ll start bold: I want to empower people living with chronic health challenges to live well no matter what the diagnosis, prognosis or financial resources.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade