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. Throughout our nation, the average level of each person’s Stable HEALTH 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 applicable for understanding 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 cohesion among our nation’s communities. With a focus on the baseline responsibilities within each person’s Family, I offer a new definition of HEALTH.
HEALTH may be defined as
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a person’s daily experience of Well-Being during their lifelong survival that is
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A. Endowed by the gestational formation of sufficient synergy between
the person’s innate temperament and the person’s underlying baseline homeostasis
for modulating the person’s initial adaptive resilience
immediately after birth and subsequently during early childhood;
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B. Nurtured by the person’s caring relationships that originate before birth
from within the person’s Family to enrich the person’s search
for the broadest portrayal of their sentient reflective-Cognition
Cluster of Human Capabilities as a joyful dependent person and originate after birth
from within the person’s Family, its Extended Family, and its micro-social networks
to mentor the adaptive resilience of the person’s innate temperament during
the social interactions occurring while becoming a courageous independent person;
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C. Challenged by the person’s daily encounters with modest disruptive processes
beginning before birth and occurring as interacting combinations and patterns
to cause variably reversible and either beneficent or maleficent effects
on the adaptive resilience of the person’s combined innate temperament and
sentient reflective-Cognition Cluster of Human Capabilities as ameliorated lifelong
by the joyful and courageous caring relationships originating lifelong from within
the person’s Family, its Extended Family, and its micro-social networks;
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D. Matured by the person’s episodic encounters with substantial disruptive processes
beginning before birth and occurring as interacting combinations and patterns
to cause variably irreversible and usually maleficent effects on the resilience
of the person’s combined Clusters of Human Capabilities and innate temperament
as variously prevented, mitigated, and ameliorated lifelong
by the Personal Survival Plan of the person; AND
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E. Sustained by the person’s hopeful caring relationships,
the Family Traditions of the person’s Family, and
the Survival Commons of the person’s community
until the resilience of the person’s combined
Clusters of Human Capabilities and innate temperament
becomes insufficient for the person’s survival
from their lifelong encounters with disruptive processes.
Against all odds from the disruptive processes encountered during a lifetime, each person’s Stable HEALTH then occurs as the result of several complex ecological and cultural phenomena. They are:
*) the person’s Family, its caring relationships, and their gatherings;
*) the person’s Family Traditions and the social cohesion of their Home’s community;
*) the person’s Extended Family, micro-social networks, and their social relations convoy;
*) the person’s Personal Survival Plan including its provisions for Restful SLEEP, Good FOOD, Dedicated EXERCISE, and Mentored COURAGE; AND
*) the Survival Commons (viz, augmented safety net) of the person’s community.
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 Family Mealtimes and a Personal Survival Plan for each member of their Family.
For the immediate reform of our nation’s healthcare, promoting a Personal Survival Plan by each resident person, community by community has an additional benefit. The unified participation with individually focused HEALTH goals to improve our nation’s HEALTH has much to offer for improving our nation’s social cohesion. By improving the resiliency of each person’s Stable HEALTH, the value of health care would then become more efficient and effective. The population-based utilization of hospital days by a community’s resident persons may be the easiest means to measure the improvement from year to year for a community’s level of Stable HEALTH.
PERSONAL SURVIVAL PLAN – conceptual format beginning in 2020
It is possible that a brief set of fundamental concepts could be defined to focus a community’s Knowledge about the basic needs of each 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 residing person’s Personal Survival Plan. The annual revisions could then be used by all the sectors contributing to the social interactions occurring within a community’s municipal life for adjusting their own participation in the needs of their community’s population 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 could support a Family based focus on the importance of a Personal Survival Plan for each person.
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 understood as the biologic defragger for maintaining 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 cohesion among its public and private 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 sentential 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.
Like Good Food, exercise that is not associated with social and cultural goals instead of just HEALTH may not be as beneficial. As a result, dedicated exercise involves other dimensions to its physical exertion.
— Annual Theme
— — — Primary: Walk daily
— — — Secondary: Enjoy music, especially its performance, and read for 1/2 hour daily
D. Mentored COURAGE
— Definition – This is a very large category. It could include the following themes: Mentorship – Spouse, Extended Family, counselor, friendships, professional; Family Traditions – family identity, spiritual community, celebration rituals, vacations; micro-social networks – extended Family transitions, home-life transitions, neighborhood connectedness; Vocational – educational spectrum, career development plan, employer transitions, accountability transitions, income expectations, health and disability insurance, retirement living; Avocational ( Hobbies ) – vacations, home repair, creative projects, volunteer commitments, music appreciation, games, spectator events.
— Annual Theme –
— — — Primary: choice of Primary Physician
— — — Secondary: Career Achievement Plan
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
— — — Career Achievement Plan
— Plan
signature and date ___________________________________________________________________________