don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

When you hear the phrase "long-term care," what comes to mind? For many people these days, it conjures images of yourself or someone you know living out her/his final years in an institutional setting. Also, for many if not most, long-term care invites anxieties about the financial burdens of such a reluctant option.

I think it's time to add another element to these discussions! Let’s introduce a wellness perspective into our thinking about long-term care.

The political debates about public policies to address these concerns do take into account the facts of increased longevity, the needs of aging parents, the challenges care-givers face trying to pay for housing and the medical and related costs of elderly dependents. All seem to agree that a good and prosperous, free society is also a compassionate one, but, affordable solutions to such problems can seem intractable. No wonder -- for in the presidential and other campaigns and in varied policy discussions about long-term care, a sensible level of creative attention to wellness values has been missing!

I think more can and should be done to encourage Americans to add a vital element to their plans for the future. When we plan for retirement and beyond, our calculations should take account not just of savings for retirement but also how we might better prepare our minds and bodies, as well. We should be thinking about investing physically and psychologically for these later years. In short, all ages would be wise to engage in long-term lifestyle care planning!

The keys to such planning are, of course, exercise, nutrition, stress management, the cultivation of passions, the quest for meaning, an appreciation for and practice of humor and play, and skill building in the area of interpersonal communications and much more. Don’t you think I’m on to something here?

If you do, let's urge candidates for public office to devise plans for reforming long-term care so as to promote a wellness-oriented society. Preferably, this would entail incentives for cultures that encourage and support citizens who plan, act and otherwise attend to their long-term health futures, as well as day-to-day acceptance of fiscal responsibility for later life eventualities.

For example, we might ask if Vice-President Gore supports tax breaks for companies that provide wellness programs for employees? Does Governor Bush favor incentive programs to motivate everyone on public assistance to choose an exercise routine and have access to resources that encourage assumptions of personal responsibility? Does candidate Nader favor health insurance reforms that promote wellness lifestyles? Does Browne have a tax credit plan for citizens who voluntarily sign up for and pass tests (to be developed) demonstrating an excellence level of well-being? The latter might consist of a set of standards for optimal body composition (age graded) and other health standards that would give trained professional assessors evidence of exceptional self care? (Personally, I don’t care what Buchanan thinks about this—if HE wins I’m defecting to some country that Pitchfork Pat might consider an overly liberal, permissive democracy, like Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan!)

These and scores of similar questions could affect not only the outcome of the next election but, more important, spark a public recognition that the best long-term care available, with or without government support or approval, is a wellness lifestyle.

Maybe I should run for public office. Hmmm. "Ardell for Secretary of Wellness!"

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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