a g a i n s t a l l o d d s
P E R S O N A L S U R V I V A L P L A N
INTRODUCTION
The Merriam-Webster’s COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY Eleventh Edition defines HEALTH, partially, as “the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; esp: freedom from physical disease or pain”. They also define SOUND as “1. a: free from injury or disease”. A search of various traditional sources for a definition of HEALTH will not encounter any definition of HEALTH that is much different. This also includes the long-standing definition used by the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION as described in the Preamble of its 1946 Constitution. It may be cited as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The driving theme for NATIONAL HEALTH began with the observation that the absence of a precisely defined definition or concept of HEALTH may have contributed to the paradigm paralysis of our Nation’s healthcare. The level of HEALTH throughout our nation is declining and the high cost of our Nation’s healthcare industry is progressively bankrupting our Federal government. To be precise, a high level of cognitive dissonance has occurred between the scientific and humanitarian realms of Knowledge related to our nation’s HEALTH. The influence of this cognitive dissonance has paralyzed our nation’s ability to focus on the rapidly evolving loss of social capital within our nation’s communities. With a focus on the baseline responsibilities of each person’s Family, I offer a new definition for HEALTH.
HEALTH may be defined as a person’s daily expression
of Well-Being during their life-long survival that is:
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Enriched by the formation of adaptive and interconnected responsiveness
between the person’s baseline homeostasis and innate temperament after birth
for modulating the person’s resilience after birth, especially
during the person’s early childhood development as a Dependent person;
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Nurtured by the Caring Relationships originating
before birth from within the Dependent person’s Family to enrich
the person’s search for the broadest portrayal
of their reflective-cognition Cluster of Human Capabilities
when becoming an Independent person and
after birth from within the Extended Family and Micro-Neighborhood Networks
of the person’s Family to prominently express kindness and respect
during their social interactions involving the person’s innate temperament,
especially throughout early childhood.
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Challenged by the nearly continuous encounter with modest Disruptive Processes
beginning before birth and occurring as interacting combinations and patterns
to cause reversible or irreversible and variably beneficent or maleficent effects
on the developmental resilience of the person’s combined reflective-cognition
Cluster of Human Capabilities, baseline homeostasis and innate temperament
as ameliorated concurrently through the Caring Relationships
originating from among the person’s Family and its social networks;
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Matured by the episodic encounter with substantial Disruptive Processes
beginning before birth and occurring as interacting combinations and patterns
to cause reversible or irreversible and usually maleficent effects
on the resilience of the person’s combined Clusters of Human Capabilities,
baseline homeostasis and innate temperament as mitigated concurrently
through the Personal Survival Plan of the person; AND
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Sustained by the Survival Commons of the person’s community and
by the Family Traditions of the person’s Family
until the resilience of the person’s combined
Clusters of Human Capabilities, baseline homeostasis and innate temperament
becomes insufficient for survival from the cumulative, irreversible effects
of the Disruptive Processes encountered during the person’s life-time.
Against all odds from the Disruptive Processes occurring during a life-time, a person’s Stable HEALTH then occurs as the result of several complex social phenomena. They are:
- the person’s Family and its Caring relationships,
- their Family Traditions,
- their Extended Family and Micro-neighborhood Networks,
- their Personal Survival Plan [ including its provisions for Restful SLEEP, Good FOOD, Dedicated EXERCISE and Mentored COURAGE ] and
- their community’s Survival Commons.
What then, might bind all of this together? The best strategy might begin by discerning the responsibilities within each Family and its Extended Family.
Among many possibilities, it may be useful to focus primarily on the responsibility within each community’s Family to promote a Personal Survival Plan for each member of their Family. For the immediate reform of our Nation’s healthcare, promoting a Personal Survival Plan for each citizen has the benefit to potentially improve our nation’s HEALTH with a community driven effort to improve the Stability of every person’s HEALTH. By improving the resiliency of every person’s Stable HEALTH, the value of health care would become more efficient and effective. The population based utilization of hospital days by a community may be the easiest means to measure the improvement of a community’s level of Stable HEALTH.
PERSONAL SURVIVAL PLAN – conceptual format beginning in 2019
It is possible that a brief set of fundamental concepts could be defined to focus a community’s Knowledge about the basic needs for any person’s Stable HEALTH. By augmenting a community’s shared KNOWLEDGE base with an annually revised educational campaign involving a broad range of Municipal Life sectors, a multi-year strategy could promote a community’s needs with a focus on each citizen’s Personal Survival Plan. The annual revisions could then be used by all the sectors contributing to the social interactions of a community’s Municipal Life to mold their own participation in the needs of their community’s HEALTH.
Eventually, community surveys could be structured to gauge the effectiveness of the fundamental concepts and the annual revisions for the campaign. Most importantly, the intent of the community education plan would support a Family based focus on the Personal Survival Plan of each citizen.
A. Restful SLEEP
— Definition – “the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored” cited from the same MERRIAM-WEBSTER Dictionary referenced above. With a contemporary context, sleep may be the biologic defragger for the brain’s memory functions.
— Annual Theme –
— — — Primary: Bedtime schedule
— — — Secondary: “Getting to sleep”
B. Good FOOD
— Definition – “the husbandry of plants and animals that are processed in a safe manner to assure that their consumption by each person will supply the ingredients necessary for the person’s Stable HEALTH.” Good FOOD represents a central component of a community’s Survival Commons. This connection would assure that its Regional Food System is affordable, sustainable and functions with a high level of Social Capital among is component institutions. (See www.goodfoodla.org ).
This category should also include the social context of food consumption.
— Annual Theme –
— — — Primary: Selecting fruit and vegetables
— — — Secondary: Schedule for Family Mealtimes
C. Dedicated EXERCISE
— Definition – Activity requiring a special effort to sustain or improve a person’s HEALTH resilience deserves a need for commitment. This commitment includes physical, reflective-cognition as well as spiritual forms of exercise. The benefits of Dedicated EXERCISE improve the stability of a person’s HEALTH, especially when combined with Restful SLEEP and Good FOOD.
Much like Good Food, exercise that is dominated by unrelated social or cultural goals instead of HEALTH may not be as beneficial. Conversely, exercise involves other dimensions than solely physical exertion.
— Annual Theme
— — — Primary: Walk daily
— — — Secondary: Enjoy music, read for 1/2 an hour daily
D. Mentored COURAGE
— Definition – This is a very large category. It could include the following themes:
— — — Personal Support Network – [ Spouse, Extended Family members, counselor, long-lasting friendships ];
— — — Family Traditions – [ family identity, spiritual community, Micro-Neighborhood Network, celebration rituals, vacations, Extended Family transitions, home-life transitions, chemical dependency, Advance Directive with medical Power of Attorney defined, a WILL with legal Power of Attorney defined ];
— — — Primary Healthcare – [ medical Triage, preferred attributes of Primary Physician, Routine Checkups (birth month), immunization (annual flu shot), Over-the-counter Product use, Comprehensive Care Plan (especially, when >4 medications are taken at least once a day), Family Safety Precautions (Adolescent Driving Restrictions) ];
— — — Vocational [ educational spectrum, professional development plan, employer transitions, accountability transitions, income expectations, health and disability insurance, retirement living ]; and
— — — Avocational ( Hobbies ) [ vacations, home repair, creative projects, volunteer commitments, music appreciation, games, spectator events ].
— Annual Theme –
— — — Primary: choice of Primary Physician
— — — Secondary: Personal Support Network
PERSONAL SURVIVAL PLAN at age ___ ___
Name _____________________________________________________ Date mo__ __ day__ __ yr 20 __ __
Family __ Pending __Transitional __ Nuclear __Blended __ Generational
Primary Physician ______________________________________________ First visit year ___ ___ ___ ___
A. Restful SLEEP
— Current Conditions
— — — Usual Bedtime
— — — Planned duration
— — — Distractions
— Plan
B. Good FOOD
— Current Conditions
— — — Regular meals
— — — No snacks
— — — Family sharing
— Plan
C. Dedicated EXERCISE
— Current Conditions
— — — Daily walk
— — — Reading
— — — Spiritual community
— Plan
D. Mentored COURAGE
— Current Conditions
— — — Family traditions
— — — Primary Healthcare
— — — Personal Support Network
— Plan
signature and date ___________________________________________________________________________
