Health And Wellness

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2002) considers health to be the total wellbeing of an individual in reference to the mental, social, physical factors, and not merely the fact that there is no disease. Rarely do individuals attain total health and wellness due to the presence of various hurdles that lead to a constant miss in one or more facets that define health. Apparently, individuals have the ability to control the negative behaviors that subsequently produces a negative effect on one’s health. This paper is an application of health and wellness and associated concepts to determine the prevailing health and wellness issues and how to resolve them in a scenario where Jason suffers a car accident and had to face the implications that this accident yields in his life.

Jason is not sick but is facing an unbalanced and unstable connection with his environment resulting in a reduced quality of life (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2010). Based on the case study, both Jason and his workplace there is no indication that Jason was given time off to get medical attention after the accident. Instead, he has been straining and has appointments with his doctor and physiotherapist. Yet, Jason is facing social issues from poor social support in the workplace that are likely to aggravate his financial and physical health issues. As Jason is waiting for compensation from the workcover, his supervisor is doubtful about his current health condition. As if having to deal with his whiplash injury and working for long hours were not enough, there is a threat of impending emotional and cognitive issues due to stress. Jason’s stress is attributed to the imbalance between his condition that requires frequent check-up from the doctor and physiotherapist yet there are inadequate resources in relation to rest and ergonomics. Jason’s supervisor is not willing to provide the required social support that would have an implication on his finances if he does not express confidence in Jason’s explanation of the insurers’ query to the insurers. In addition, according to Chinchen (2001), Jason is subjected to work stress that is likely to take an adverse effect on his self-identity and productivity.

The wellness wheel is very relevant in this context because it is concerned with the psychological facet of health. In reference to the wheel of wellness by Hettler (n.d.) shown below, it is apparent that Jason is not experiencing wellness in all the six dimensions that have been indicated due to his stress as he anticipates a major financial setback if the insurers fail to pay him.

In reference to the occupational wellness, Jason does not have the enthusiasm in his work due to the unsupportive supervisor and the whiplash injury that continuously causes him to experience discomfort and pain. In addition, it is clear that Jason works out of necessity since his wife is caring for their son full time and the fact that he recently bought a house places Jason under financial strain. Jason is not physically well due to the accident and even though he is doing his part to seek health care and rest, this wellness is threatened by the inquiry presented to him by his supervisor from the insurers. Jason is in a state of uncertainty as he is not sure of his financial fate; thereby, disrupting all the facets of wellness and he is not able to think rationally and come up with suitable solutions.

The three realms of biopsychosocial factors according to Davidson, Campbell, Shannon, and Mulholland (2016) are relevant in this case study. Gurung (2006) shows the interconnectedness of the biopsychosocial model and adoption of health behaviors. Jason’s environmental, social and psychological domains of health could result in poor behaviors that could further take a toll on his health, for example, poor sleeping patterns and associated disorders and not eating well. His socio-economic status is the reason for his current condition because he is worried about not getting paid by the insurers. Environmental factors in relation to the car accident and hostility in the workplace are a cause of poor health and wellness. These environmental factors result in stress, a facet of the psychological domain of the biopsychosocial model and relations between Jason and the supervisor do not indicate a supportive structure. In addition, even after telling his wife of his feelings towards the supervisor, the wife does not offer any kind of support to her husband Jason. Jason does not have coping tactics that would enable him to work as expected; hence, his frequent appointments with healthcare professionals and request for a week off from work.

In reference to emphasizing the need for good health and wellness, I will discuss the wheel of wellness with Jason and indicate that he needs to discuss the issue with the management so that he can go back to work after he has recovered completely if he is not able to cope with the pain. Since the social element of health and wellness is pertinent, I will adopt the psychoeducational approach to reach out to Jason’s workplace and family (Hudson et al., 2008). In addition, in order to help Jason through the volition phase, taking such a holistic approach is my way of reinforcing the health action process approach so that Jason’s worries and fears do not result in frequent relapses (Schwarzer, 2014). I will educate the management and staff in the place where Jason works about the new public health model that is meant to bring all individuals on board in the promotion of attaining good health and wellness (Caltabiano et al., 2008).  I will use the health belief model to discuss perceived seriousness so that the management understands that Jason’s whiplash might get worse if he continues to strain. Jason, on the other hand, need to respond to the inquiry and attach all the required papers to prove his claims to the insurers and the management at his workplace. I will liaise with the doctor and the physiotherapist caring for Jason so that they can give a report about Jason’s injury and rule out any doubt that results from the same. Jason cannot overlook his health because it would mean poorer health. In reference to the new model, Jason is not obliged to work under poor conditions. I will discuss the need of developing a health-protective program in the workplace so that unnecessary queries like those arising from the insurers are avoided. Every employer aims to obtain maximal output through optimal worker performance, which cannot be realized if the workers are not healthy.

Jason’s supervisor is of the perception that the accident was a minor one and queries the need for the numerous appointments and week off. Campell (2013), in his talk about pain indicates that level of pain is as simple stating “am feeling pain” and no one should question this claim without using valid scales to confirm the same. Therefore, during my training session at Jason’s workplace, I will emphasize the need for social support to the staff when faced with such kind of disasters because lack of social support and skeptical attitudes tend to aggravate their problems. Hence, Jason had developed stress and was taking a toll on his health and wellness. According to Caltabiano et al. (2008), complying with a treatment regime is paramount and if the appointments are part of the regime, then Jason should not forego them due to external pressure from his supervisor and insurers. Jason has devised a coping strategy of integrating healthcare into his work routine, but the pain and discomfort have accelerated.  Nonetheless, I will help Jason review the option of working for short durations with frequent breaks to minimize the pain and discomfort due the injury.

According to Myers and Sweeney (2007), spirituality has been indicated as the central point of the wellness wheel. Therefore, I need to talk with Jason so that he can find peace and harmony in his life despite the prevailing problems. This domain of spirituality is shown to link to other In addition, helping him to cope with the negative emotions that might exude from his current condition is also my objective. Thereby, in reference to these negative reactions, I will use the cognitive strategies that have been highlighted by Dornelas, Gallagher, and Burg (2014, p. 233-234) to help Jason suppress his negative reactions so that he can accept the negative implications that might result in the event the insurance does not compensate him. In order to minimize his stress, mindfulness meditation will come in handy. As Lewis (2016) guides, training the people caring for individuals with poor health and wellness is imperative. In this case, Jason’s wife is the main care-giver and there is need to have a session with her so that she is able to help Jason get through his current condition by encouraging him and helping him device solutions to his problem.

In conclusion, it is imperative to ensure that health determinants are well tackled to avoid negative implications that affect health and wellness. Despite the fact that one’s socioeconomic status is a core factor that determines exposure to other factors that influence health, collaborative effort by the community, individuals, corporations, and governments help to mitigate the effects of low socioeconomic status. Thereby, the need for involving the individuals around Jason to ensure that the psychological and social aspects help to reinforce the Jason’s self-care, stress reduction strategies, and willingness to accept uncertainty. 

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