What if a genetics expert could predict the major health problem you would most likely be facing in the future? Would you want to know? And, with that information how would you react and prepare? I learned an important lesson from a spirited and courageous hotel bellman about how to influence future health outcomes even in the face of bad news.
It was quite obvious that the very pleasant hotel bellman, assisting me with my bags, was suffering from Down's syndrome. As we walked to the elevator, he asked whether I was attending the nurses meeting. I confirmed that I was. "What is your name?" he asked and then explained, "I ask as many guests their names as I can and I try to remember them. When I see them again in the lobby or around the hotel, I say hello and call them by name. I am trying to keep up my memory because when I get old I will get Alzheimer's because of my condition. That's what people like me get, but I might beat it," he laughed.
I was stunned but made a quick enough recovery to praise his strategy and to let him know that there was some evidence that what he was doing could work. Each time he saw me in the hotel over the next few days he greeted me by name. And, I witnessed similar interactions between him and many of my nurse colleagues and other guests. It was a big meeting and there were lots of names to remember!!
In some ways, this hotel bellman is the embodiment of the holistic health philosophy. He has accepted the inevitability of the high risk for Alzheimer's and responsibility for doing something about it. He has a simple, but elegant action plan-remember names, connect names to faces, and strengthen the memory muscle.
What if just 20% of those facing heart disease and stroke from obesity made a simple plan to eliminate desserts and snacks, cut portions by just one third, and walk 1 mile a day, only 8 city blocks? How much would lives improve and how much less burden would there be on the healthcare system?
What if every primary care provider, specialist, and dentist did a quick screen for depression during every patient assessment? How many suicides and days of deep depression could we forestall?
What if you and I looked in the mirror every morning and asked ourselves, "What am I going to do today to improve my health for the future?" And what if we answered ourselves with a specific and simple action plan? How much better would our health and our lives be? Model the bellman and try to beat the odds!!
Gloria F. Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief