Understand about health, illness, and wellness: (CHP 17 p. 295 & PP Health Promotion and Disease Prevention)
Health - is the state of complete physical, mental (emotional), and social (including spiritual) well-being, not merely the absence of disease. Health is holistic in nature; it’s the full expression of a person’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual potential. It’s a dynamic state in which the person continuously adapts to changes in the internal and external environments in order to maintain a sense of wellbeing. Health is a highly individual perception.
Illness - is an event that manifests itself through observable/felt changes in the body. Illness is the state in which the physical, emotional, social, intellectual or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired compared with previous experience. It is NOT synonymous with disease and may or may not be related to disease. Illness is highly subjective.
Wellness - is the state of being healthy in both body and mind as the result of deliberate effort. Wellness is the state of well-being. It is an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases. Anspaugh et al propose 7 components of wellness:
1) Physical
2) Social
3) Emotional
4) Intellectual
5) Spiritual
6) Occupational and
7) Environmental.
Well-being/Wellness is a subjective perception of vitality and feeling well which can be described objectively, experienced, and measured and can be plotted on a continuum. Dunn’s concept of high level wellness theorizes that wellness is the degree of illness/health modified by the environment. It says that it is an integrated method of functioning that is oriented towards maximizing the potential of which the person is capable. It requires that the individual maintain a continuum of balance and purposeful direction within the environment where he is functioning. The patient’s perception of health,