By Katie Brenneman
As a caregiver presiding over a family, it’s essential that you ensure that every member of the household is happy and healthy, especially the children. You need to create a comprehensive approach to health and wellness. Start with these steps.
Preventative Health Is Key
You can’t wait until sickness or injury happens to jump in and provide care. You may not have the services you need on hand, and the issue may be worse than it would have been if you were proactive.
There are many benefits to proactive health, including improving long-term well-being. When everyone in the family manages their weight, eats right, and visits the doctor regularly, they’re likely to go longer without a significant health issue, which can also increase their life expectancy. Exercise is an essential part of proactive health. Get the kids outside whenever you can so they can run and play, and they may make regular activity a part of their routine going forward.
A good diet can start with balanced meal planning, especially for kids. Teach the youngsters how to eat right by providing 90% nourishing foods and 10% fun foods, like cookies and french fries, so they have some variety. The daily routine should include meals that involve protein, dairy, grains, and vegetables.
Don’t Forget Mental Health
Part of your wellness strategy should be to ensure the family’s mental health. Make it a habit to check in with the kids to ask how they’re doing. If they ever seem to be feeling down, ask them what’s wrong, be empathetic, and try to help them along.
Remember that just because the kids are young, it doesn’t mean you can’t set them up for success by talking to them about their mental health. Teach them to come to you anytime if they’re scared or worried. Bring them outside to enjoy the fresh air and see how they feel different and more clear-headed when they walk through nature.
Also, if you’re ever feeling stressed and you can share it with the kids, consider doing so and show them how you cope and move on.
Get A Primary Care Physician
Everyone in the family should see the doctor and dentist regularly and follow the advice they give every day. Dentist appointments should occur at least twice monthly, and doctor visits should occur yearly or based on the child’s age. This is another form of preventative health because the doctor can catch issues before they go too far.
Take time when choosing a primary care physician and find professionals in your network, which will greatly cut costs. If necessary, see a doctor with experience with the child’s specific health needs and ask for referrals from people you trust to find the best and most caring doctors.
After you schedule appointments or receive documentation from the doctor, hold on to the paperwork if necessary to read specific care instructions or prescription information. However, once a document becomes unnecessary, you need to dispose of it properly so it cannot be stolen by anyone who could use personal information for their scams. The best option is to shred the old paperwork at home, and if you don’t have a personal shredder, then call a company that can come to you. Good shredding companies have the equipment to shred the documents so they can never be recovered again.
The health of the family unit will improve with a proactive approach. Do what’s best for everyone under your roof, and you’ll feel confident that they’ll stay in the best possible shape for years to come.
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.