Let us reflect for a moment. Is being healthy same as feeling good?
Disease and illness have both objective and subjective dimensions. While disease refers to what a doctor sees in a sick person when viewed from the outside, illness is what one sees from the inside. Most of the effort and energy of the doctors is directed toward diagnosing and treating the sick. Probably this was sufficient few decades ago when people suffered mostly from acute (short term) or communicable (infectious) diseases. The feelings of illness lasted through the course of disease and when the disease was cured or controlled, patients felt better.
However, the context is different today. People are living longer; their living conditions and lifestyles have changed and this has resulted in a paradigm shift in disease pattern too. Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancers, and many other conditions stay longer and often for life, referred to as chronic conditions. Mental Health conditions such as Stress and Depression, age related illness such as Dementia are increasing. In this changed context, a mere diagnosis and treatment is not enough. The role of the doctor goes far beyond these two functions; they have to step into the shoes of the patient, connect with the individuals and their families, their strengths and challenges, motivations and goals, plan for a deeper engagement, facilitate changes in the ecosystem toward achieving highest health and wellbeing possible in any given setting.
Thus these conditions call for a robust health education and counselling interventions within the hospitals and clinics. However, the doctors and nurses are pressed for time due to high patient volumes. Most often the communications are prescriptive and information oriented, which is not adequate to bring about a behaviour or lifestyle change. Family involvement is even lesser and hence the changes are not sustained. The patients are left with certain void and wanting, to communicate and be heard and connected.
At ANIRASA Integrative Health and Wellbeing Clinic, counselling and education are a part of the four prong approach. Our tools aid assessment of individuals and family support systems; dwell deep into individual’s constitution, lifestyle, diets, behaviours and habits, etc. This feeds into a customized plan for the patients and their families. The educational endeavours also target those who are healthy to facilitate adoption of a preventive lifestyle. Support is offered in person and remotely, for the length of the time that it takes to help our clients and their families achieve a state of self-reliance.
Services:
Customized counselling and educational activities
Family based approach
Finding solutions and changing ecosystems
One to one, one to group, peer group counselling
Long term and follow up sessions include online services
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