Caring for Our Caregivers: Heart Health Program for Nurses

Caring for Our Caregivers: Heart Health Program for Nurses

Caregivers often put their personal health needs aside in order to provide for others. More broadly, women tend to focus solely on their role to care for others as a spouse, a mother, a daughter and a friend. As a former nurse, I’ve done this myself – I confess to not always taking care of my own health needs and as I mature, I feel the effects and realize that I am the only person who can hold myself accountable and take responsibility for my own healthcare journey.

While working women and caregivers learn to prioritize their health, we must remember that heart disease impacts women differently than men and nationwide, cardiovascular disease is women’s number one killer.

As caregivers, we have an opportunity to lead by example. At Saint Thomas Health, we launched “Caring for the Caregiver,” a voluntary six-month holistic wellness journey for our associates as part of National Nurse’s week. The initiative will help our staff to motivate and support one another by placing increased emphasis on taking care of ourselves from a physical, mental and spiritual perspective.

We launched this health journey by giving our caregivers a comprehensive assessment of their health and provided resources to make lifestyle changes. As part of our partnership with the Women’s Heart Alliance and its Cities and Communities with Heart Initiative to prioritize our health, we have created a program that prioritizes wellness while recognizing the barriers in our work and personal lives. This program includes:

  • A research-supported wellness questionnaire
  • Free lab testing
  • Health fairs at our hospitals to raise awareness and enroll caregivers in the program
  • A personalized care partner for participants to discuss lab results and develop a personalized wellness plan
  • A plan to journal about the journey to better health using weekly prompts about physical, mental and spiritual well-being

Since accountability is vital in this process, we engaged the Chief Nursing Officers and nursing managers to support the participants who have committed to this healthcare journey. Managers play a key role in encouraging their team to prioritize their own health, particularly as it relates to cardiovascular disease, so our health system can better care for our patients, their families and our communities.

The first step in self-improvement is to recognize that this is not a six-month process, but a lifestyle. Take ownership.

Use your resources. Diet, exercise, proper sleep – it all begins with an internal drive to recognize the gaps in self-care and discover the solutions.

Our partnership with the Women’s Heart Alliance focuses on what we can do differently for women when it comes to recognizing heart disease and providing resources to those impacted. In only one week, we have more than 100 nurses that have registered to be a part of this six month program and we’re looking forward to growing that number. At Saint Thomas Health and Ascension, we look forward to learning from our own experience and investing in the holistic health of our caregivers.

Holly E. Smith, RN

Quality of life Advocate. Passionate about care for caregivers. We make the world better!

6y

Quality of life is my passion. In order to have sustainable, safe, efficient, effective care I must take care of myself inorder to provide for others. When we help and support our colleges and associates we build strength in self care and strive for work/life balance, which is essential to quality of life. With or without a specific program we can choose to become engaged in and part of a movement to support each other as care givers. Great care for care givers will translate into improved quality of life. When I feel support and care my ability grows; I can improve quality of life of others thru my practice as a care giver, resulting in patients everywhere feeling this benefit. *Movement and moderation; *random acts of kindness, are a couple of my key tools I like to use and share to continue on my quest for quality of life.

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ARCHIE LAZARUS

Counter Terrorism Reseacher at International Centre for Counter Terrorism the Haug Netherlands

6y

Hello I'm 44 yes old always I keep on do the marathon "I mean to say I keep on exercise in my spare time that is why I always good or health!

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Lindianne Sarno

Director, Snake River Music Gardens

6y

I have noticed that the food in hospital cafeterias is atrocious, full of genetically modified foods that are in themselves killers and destroyers of human organs, muscles, and joints. It would help nurses and doctors live longer to become aware of genetically modified foods and the deterioration these foods have caused in American health.

Karen Oram

Registered Nurse at William Osler Health System

6y

I would love to see a program like this in William Osler Health System. I would be so happy and proud to be a major part of it. I truly believe it is needed in all areas. I see many of my colleagues suffering silently and heading into health issues due to the devotion and compassionate Care they constantly exhibit to others. I myself suffered a heart attack earlier this year. I now realize the importance of taking care of yourself too. We are always telling others to do exactly this but fail to listen for ourselves! It's time to learn!

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