As the population of seniors continues to grow, the need for holistic senior care increases as well. What is holistic senior care, you ask? Simply put, it is a comprehensive and personalized approach to nursing that takes into account all aspects of an individual’s life—the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual components of their lifestyle. This growing trend in caregiving is catching on for one simple reason: it works! In this article, we will explore the definition of holistic health, discuss the benefits of holistic wellness plans for seniors, and explain why holistic senior care is the future of elder care.
What Is a Holistic Approach to Nursing?
The concept of holistic wellness is a complex one that is rather difficult to define in clear terms other than looking at the interplay of all the interpersonal, internal, physical, and spiritual aspects of a patient’s life. The National Library of Medicine describes holistic care as the process of “addressing patients’ physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs…restor[ing] balance and enabling [patients] to deal with their illnesses, consequently improving their lives.”
Not many people have a perfectly clean slate of health, and there is any number of factors that could cause us to “lose balance” in our lives and fall ill. Some of these factors can easily be explained by science, while others may be more nuanced, such as matters of the heart or spirit. These more mysterious factors—spirituality, relationships, connection, mental health—are just as important as maintaining physical health in terms of keeping a patient in a state of general wellbeing. In fact, nurses who have been traditionally trained with a biomedical allopathic focus tend to neglect the deeper needs of their patients, treating only physical symptoms as they arise.
Does Holistic Health Planning Work?
While at first glance holistic wellness might seem incredible as research is yet being done and the term itself is so hard to define, in truth, it is hard not to argue that looking at the whole person—the patient’s lifestyle, in its entirety—is not only beneficial in terms of their health and lowering their medical bills, but it is also beneficial for the nurse or caregiver as well. In fact, when purely physical symptoms are treated, patients often take longer to return to health, encounter additional health concerns during treatment, experience prolonged hospitalization, and therefore higher medical bills.
While holistic wellness remains challenging to define in scientific terms, it can be summarized by the idiom “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” where aspects of physical health are concerned. For example, we all know poor mental health can lead to premature death in the form of suicide, but did you know that living with negative emotions, even stress, can cause physical health issues as well? Clearly, medicating the symptom of stress without addressing the root cause would not be an effective means of healing a patient at all.
At its root, holistic care is about digging in and learning about a patient’s motivations, inner world, social life, and spirituality as much as it is reading their blood pressure or heart rate. If you know your patient’s raison d’être, or “reason to be,” you can help them cultivate their sense of purpose and make them more resilient in the face of health challenges. Purpose offers stability (holistic care providers might use the term “balance”) and can do everything from raising self-esteem and encouraging physical forms of self-care to finding energy to give back to others in their community. By looking at the root of what keeps the patient in a state of medical equilibrium, we are able to help them stay at the top of Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs, keeping them stronger, healthier, and more adaptable in the face of obstacles for longer.
Why Holistic Senior Care is the Future of Caregiving
Nurses and doctors who only look at the physical symptoms their patients present are only looking at a small percentage of the picture. This can contribute to patients’ suffering, prolong treatment, worsen the condition, and wrack up costly medical bills in the meantime. It’s clear this form of medicine is becoming outdated as more and more researchers dig in to the holistic approach.
When you consider populations that may be considered medically vulnerable, such as children, those with compromised immune systems, and the elderly, these types of patients simply don’t have the time to waste with ineffective treatments that target symptoms rather than the root cause. These populations, including our seniors, need us to see the whole person in front of us and to listen deeply for the root cause of the illness.
Sacramento Holistic Senior Care at Jazba
Too many seniors are facing spiritual and emotional neglect after retirement. More than 40% report feelings of loneliness, according to a study by the University of California at San Francisco…and this includes seniors who have joined a nursing facility with an emphasis on biomedical allopathic forms of healing. Holistic senior care aims to build on the foundation set by modern western medical practices and incorporate spiritual, mental, and social health in addition to physical. This more complete portrait of the patient offers doctors a birds-eye view of symptoms so that they are able to weed out the source of illness or find better ways to manage it rather than simply prescribing an abundance of pills.
Are you interested in holistic senior care for yourself or your loved one? At Jazba Care, we believe our seniors are valuable resources worth celebrating! Our holistic approach to senior care puts the patient first, and our 24/7 staffing ensures your loved one is always monitored for physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that may affect their long-term health. Contact us today for the services we provide or book a tour of the facility here!
