Wellness Education of Employees through

The Workplace Wellness Series

of Co-branded

Health Info Booklets

Sustainable Solutions through Education,

to address the burden of disease in the workplace, while addressing

Social Responsibility & Skills Development requirements

 by Dr Arien van der Merwe

on behalf of

Health Stress Management (Pty) Ltd

Health Solutions

Training Solutions · Workplace Wellness Solutions · Stress Solutions

June 2010

WORKPLACE WELLNESS SERIES OF HEALTH INFO BOOKLETS Content Example

Central to our understanding of the health and wellness education booklet content and emphasis, is the recognised need for a broader approach to employee health and wellness, as opposed to the previous focus on HIV/AIDS only. The health info booklets encourage an integrated approach to addressing general health, wellness, nutrition, stress management and a solution based approach to all the chronic diseases of lifestyle.

Workplace Wellness Series: Health Info Booklets

Teaching Tools for Sustainability, Employee Empowerment and to meet Community, Social and Environmental Responsibility

All written by Dr Arien van der Merwe

1.     Health Info 101: General basic information on health, wellness, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, wellness food gardens, stress management, how to take self responsibility for health and wellbeing

Definitions of wellness; Aspects of wellness; A long term vision for wellness to coincide with company mission and vision; Basic anatomy & physiology: know your body from the inside out and the outside in; Nutrition & sustainable wellness food gardens; fitness fun and wellness; Practical stress management and relaxation training; Mental-emotional wellbeing

2.     Metabolic Syndrome: Definition, explanations, integrative wellness management of this very important threat to health and wellbeing in the workplace: high blood pressure, high cholesterol (esp. triglycerides), diabetes mellitus/medium risk high blood sugar/insulin resistance, and overweight or obesity (esp. abdominal).

Many companies and employees are starting to realise that metabolic syndrome is becoming an even bigger threat to productivity and employee wellbeing, than HIV. We cannot control what we inherit from our ancestors, but we can control how we think and feel, learn and practice how to change our lifestyle and behaviour, what we eat, how we move or exercise, how we manage our stress, thereby allowing our bodies to eventually respond to the changed behaviour and brain re-patterning, rather than the genetic code in our inherited DNA. At present more than 150 million people worldwide have metabolic syndrome, expected to rise to 300 million by 2020. Compared to 35 million HIV + worldwide, with 22 million of those in Africa, it is a clear indication that metabolic syndrome is a major health crisis that has to be addressed.

3.     Mental-Emotional Health: Mind, mood and emotions; depression, insomnia, anxiety and wellness solutions to keep employees healthy and happy. An integrative approach with practical tools and techniques to help employees cope with, prevent and manage, mood disorders. Includes working with the emotions by using the emotional positioning scale, also dealing with life transition periods, positive ageing and using the life plan to set goals.

4.     Practical Stress Management: Basic info on stress, its effect on the body and mind, and easy, practical stress solutions to help employees manage their stress levels on a daily basis. Section on work-life balance included.

5.     Heart Health: Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees to care for their hearts from a body and mind perspective

6.     Immune System: General immune system health (e.g. colds, flu), cancer and HIV/Aids

7.     Respiratory Health: Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees about their lungs, sinuses, upper respiratory tract from a body and mind perspective

8.     Diabetes Mellitus: Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees how to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, from a body and mind perspective

9.     Bone and Joint Health: Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees about their bones, muscles and joints from a body and mind perspective

10.  Reproductive & Sexual Health: Male & Female Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees how to maintain healthy relationships, take care of their reproductive systems and avoid sexually transmitted diseases, from a body and mind perspective

11.  Fatigue Management: Integrative solutions to teach employees who work long hours or shifts, how to remain well and healthy, and to learn about work-life balance. Practical information and useful tips on how to manage fatigue. suitable for shift workers and those working long hours that demand concentration and endurance.

12.  Spiritual Wellbeing: Integrative wellness solutions to help and teach employees how to take care of basic spiritual needs on a practical, daily basis. The content is suitable and helpful to those of all religions, and who do not practice any religion at all.

13.  Health Info:The Different Health Challenges

Any of the chronic diseases of lifestyle as per company request

INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITER & DEVELOPER OF THE WORKPLACE WELLNESS SERIES OF HEALTH INFO BOOKLETS

Background information

For lasting and sustainable solutions to address the burden of disease in SA, employee health and wellness education has to become an essential and primary focus area!

After having been involved in developing technical selection criteria for health and wellness screening interventions, as well as the subsequent selection process of submitted tenders for Deloitte Consulting, it became clear that far too little emphasis is placed on ongoing and sustainable health and wellness education in the thriving workplace wellness industry.

Having been a pioneer in the early days (late ‘90’s) of workplace wellness in South Africa, I was amazed to see how far the development over the past 12 years have been. But sadly, development mostly in computer technology, tracking and data capturing systems, report generation, and more and more health screening tools and protocols! Very little effort has gone into really finding lasting solutions to address health risks from the inside out. One way of doing this, is through ongoing employee health and wellness education and training. Education was mentioned in passing because it was requested in the tender specifications, but very little detail on actual content or sustainability of education process, was provided.

Wellness has followed a gradual evolutionary process from fitness and diet programs, into the other aspects of human wellbeing: mental-emotional health, stress management and sometimes spiritual wellbeing. The last has always been regarded as too difficult to implement. The same now has to happen with health education. Focusing only on nutrition, often emphasizing all the confusing and opposing views, or physical fitness, is not enough. H&W education has to address mental-emotional health, spiritual wellbeing, practical stress management and nutrition, especially teaching people to develop self sustainable wellness food gardens. We all have to learn that thoughts and beliefs, leading to specific emotional states and behaviour, coming from deep within our source of wellbeing, will lead to healthy habits that ultimately create our physical reality. If we don’t change on all of these levels, the physical body cannot follow.

Example of recent company co-branded booklets

(Hard copies will be shown during meeting / discussion)

YOUR GUIDE 2009

This book is your health information tool and will be used throughout the wellness year as study guide during the health coaching, wellness and stress management talks, workshops and courses.

Background information: Dr Arien van der Merwe MBChB FRSPH MISMA

Dr Arien van der Merwe is a medical doctor, health coach, internationally published author and specialist corporate health and wellness service provider. She has extensive experience in workplace wellness, stress management and health promotion through well researched health solutions, wellness products and sustainable interventions. Dr Arien has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH) in the UK for the work she does in South Africa to promote public health and wellness through education, training and communication. She is also a Member of the International Stress Management Association, UK branch. Dr Arien writes books, health info booklets and training manuals, develops programs and presents regular wellness/peer educator training, stress management and workplace wellness talks, workshops, courses and seminars.

Dr Arien believes in a holistic, integrative approach to manage health and wellness risks, and therefore designs and implements comprehensive and integrated sustainable health and wellness solutions, that also help companies meet social responsibility obligations.

Dr Arien is passionate about helping others find the real cause of disease and therefore the way to healing, which lies deep within us. Her life purpose and philosophy: ‘We teach best what we most have to learn!’ Dr van der Merwe therefore shares her own knowledge and experience, while she herself is continually learning more about her own health and wellness, as well as those of others.

More information: www.HealthStressWellness.com / arienvdm@samedical.co.za

Content

Introduction:                                                                                                                         

Company health screening results summary                                                                            

My health status & personal risk profile                                                                                   

My wellness profile                                                                                                                   

Anatomy 101:

Know your body from the outside in: Organs and systems                                                                           

Physiology 101:

The cell and its functions, know your body from the inside out                                                                                 

Wellness:

Definitions & Aspects                                                                                                                

Wellness versus disease management, Illness-Wellness Continuum, Iceberg Model             

Nutrition: the way to wellness                                                                                               

Planning your wellness food garden                                                                                     

Stress and its management: The way to wellness

Understanding stress                                                                                                              

Stress anatomy & physiology                                                                                                

My stress assessment                                                                                                            

The body’s involvement with stress                                                                                     

Stress, chronic disease and other health challenges                                                          

Stress and substance abuse                                                                                              

Stress solutions                                                                                                                   

An introduction to metabolic syndrome                                                                              

Health coaching                                                                                                                  

Cost Estimate

The printing cost for these staple bound, in full colour, A5 format, 44 pages, came to R120 per booklet.

Companies often prefer to do their own printing.

A once off cost to adapt and write the booklet according to company specific requirements, which includes a co-branded copyright for a single print run of 250 booklets, of R15 000, goes to the author and developer of the booklets. For more than 250, a royalty payment per booklet is negotiable.