Vim & Vigor - Summer 2017 - Community Healthcare - 17

HEALTHCARE CAPTAIN
as the family health captain, scheduling
appointments and making sure everyone
stays well.
In fact, according to the Kaiser Family
Foundation, 85 percent of mothers
choose their kids' doctors, 84 percent
take them to their appointments, and
79 percent ensure they get the care
they need.

The RISK

As moms and natural caregivers, women
might feel it's their responsibility to take
on the family's health. But there's a risk
to taking on everything.
"Women today are trying to do too
much and move too fast, and we're
often under the false assumption that
by controlling everything we can create less stress for ourselves and others,
when in fact the opposite is true," says
Renee Peterson Trudeau, a work-life balance coach and speaker and author of
The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal and
Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. "Our
overdoing is putting us in a constant
fight-or-flight mode, which leads to
high stress levels, burnout, anxiety,
depression and even disease."
When you're experiencing stress,
your body releases hormones that
drive up blood pressure, heart rate
and blood sugar levels. With smaller
bursts of stress, these aren't a big
deal and return to normal.
But long term, chronic stress can
increase risk for high blood pressure,
heart disease, menstrual problems
and obesity.

The Importance of
SELF-CARE

Before they can adequately take care
of others, women must remember their
own needs, Trudeau says.
"Women have to realize taking care
of themselves isn't selfish," she says.

To make the job of managing your family's health a little easier, the Community Care
Network physicians offer MyChart® with proxy access. MyChart is a free, easy and
secure online tool that allows you to view information in your medical record and
communicate with your doctor's office.
Once you have activated your own MyChart account, you will be able to sign up
to link to another family member's record. All you need to get started is an internet
connection, an email address and an access code available from the hospitals of
Community Healthcare System at mychart.comhs.org/MyChart.
With proxy access to MyChart, parents or legal guardians of minor children are
allowed access to portions of their child's medical records. Typically, parents use
proxy access for authorization to their children's accounts so they can schedule
appointments, check immunizations, reorder medications and coordinate other
health-related information for their children. Adults may also use it for access to
a relative's record. This is particularly useful for helping older adults monitor their
medications and appointments.

"It's like oxygen; it's their birthright.
And when they feel more alive, whole
and resourced, everyone-especially
their family-benefits."
That means taking the time to exercise, making sure you get enough sleep
and pressing pause on stress, whether
that's through deep breathing, doing
yoga, meditating or keeping a journal,
for example.
And when planning everyone else's
appointments, women shouldn't forget
their own health maintenance-well
visits, mammograms, skin checks,
colonoscopies and dental cleanings.
It's important for women to take care
of themselves just as well as they do
their families.

Delegate and
LET IT GO

So how can you possibly take care
of yourself and your family on top of
everything else? Start by realizing when
good is good enough, Trudeau says.
"We're trying to do too many things
perfectly," she says. "We need to pick
and choose what truly needs our attention, what we can delegate and what
can be postponed or fall off the to-do
list altogether."

Maybe your partner, for example, can
pick up prescriptions for the kids and
schedule his own doctor appointments.
Maybe a neighbor or friend can drive a
family member to the eye doctor.
Although it's not easy to delegate, it
can be worth the effort.
"Learning to ask for help can be a
life-changer," Trudeau says. "But it's
typically something we have to learn,
and it takes practice."
Remember, you're the captain of
this team. Organize a huddle and call
the plays (and pass some of the time!),
and you'll be on your way to a win. n

WEBSITE

Log In Here,
Please
Complete the MyChart® Child
or Adult Proxy Form available at mychart.comhs.org/
MyChart and return it to
your provider's office to
request access.

SUMME R 2017

17
http://mychart.comhs.org/MyChart http://mychart.comhs.org/MyChart http://mychart.comhs.org/MyChart
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2017 - Community Healthcare
