Building rapport

One of the most important things we as health partners do is build a trusting relationship with each individual. Health care can be disjointed, requiring individuals to tell their stories time and time again. Speaking to the same health partner is important so individuals can continue the dialogue and monitor their progress. It takes time to build that trust. Developing trust enables individuals to be honest about their strengths and limitations to improve their health. The rapport developed opens the door to discuss challenges, find ways of reaching goals they may not have thought of yet, and to closely assess why current habits may not working and what can be done to develop new ones.

Understanding employees and their families

People want to be heard. As health partners, we seek to understand what is most important to each individual so we can meet them where they are. A health care provider may want an individual to lose 20 pounds while the most pressing issue is to deal with their anxiety or depression or getting a good night sleep. With ever-improving artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, wellness and chronic condition programs provide direction and resources over time to reach goals; however, a health partner can get to the heart of issues that block progress.

Through a holistic self-completed wellness assessment and guided health history, our team finds out what is the most important area to focus on first and what type of support is available to the employee to help them be successful:

• Do they have a health care provider?
• Are they taking their medications as prescribed?
• Are they a smoker?
• Do they currently get regular exercise, eat a nutritious diet, get enough sleep, and have tools to manage stress?

Everything is connected, and we help them get started by taking the first step.

Setting achievable goals

We help individuals set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based) goals that are actionable. Our team encourages small steps that translate into big results. "I want to lose 10 pounds" is a great goal, but how does the individual get there? Many times, employees are not aware how decisions they are making (e.g., drinking their calories with sugar-sweetened beverages, eating portions that are too large, not getting enough sleep or missing medication doses) can undermine the success of reaching their goal.

We brainstorm with individuals to determine different solutions to a problem. If they are forgetting to take their medication, we encourage them to maybe place a medication box next to the sink where they brush their teeth or in the kitchen by their car keys to help them successfully take their medication at the same time every day. If they are trying to lose weight, we may encourage them to bring leftovers for lunch instead of getting fast food or make their coffee at home two days a week instead of getting the double expresso with whipped cream until we speak again to reassess.

One of my health partners was recently working with a 36-year-old male to manage his diabetes and weight. He began setting goals like using an elliptical machine two times a week at the gym, going for walks on his lunch break at work, switching one soda for water at lunch, and going to sleep at 10 p.m. instead of midnight. With regular one-on-one communication with his health partner to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes, over six months he was able to cut out all sugar beverages (when he used to drink 6 a day) and lose 40 pounds. Our team guides individuals to make small changes which then builds habits and lead to big changes. This approach leads to sustainable change versus diet programs which may bring fast results initially but are difficult to maintain over time.

Staying positive

We all want to feel heard and understood. Validating and empathizing where individuals are now helps build the relationship so they can move on to the next step. Our team focuses on helping them take small steps and then celebrating their wins. Individuals often have an "all or nothing" mentality. We offer employees encouragement and work with them to build habits over time. Celebrating small wins such as not drinking soda for a meal, adding a few steps a day, taking the stairs instead of an elevator all makes a difference. Our goal is to empower people to take care of their health and give them the resources to do it, because ultimately, we cannot do that for them.

So many times, our health partners hear, "I may not have reached my goals this time, but I feel a lot better just talking to you—I look forward to our calls." We are their cheerleader, we listen to them, we support them, and we keep them accountable, so they develop healthy habits and make lasting changes in their behavior.

Wellness and health look different for everyone. It is fulfilling to partner with individuals on their unique wellness journey—whatever that may look like. A well-designed platform or program is not enough for everyone. Having a health partner helps employees manage chronic conditions and increase their overall wellbeing. Individuals need support, guidance, and a plan that they can stick with and that is what health partners do.

Annie Lutostanski is a nurse practitioner with Green Circle Life.

Read more: 

• Supporting employees with diabetes: Considerations for employers as businesses open up
• 70 percent of medical cost savings comes from employees using health coaches
• Changing lifestyle choices could cut $730B in annual health care spending