Soup, Songs, and Sidewalks are Healthcare
how Inherent Care Theory expands our understanding of healthcare outside of the clinical setting
In our previous post, we introduced the groundbreaking concept of Inherent Care Theory (ICT) and its potential to revolutionize how we think about care and wellbeing. Today, we want to dive deeper into what healthcare might look like through the lens of ICT and how this expanded understanding could transform our communities.
Neighborhood Support Networks
Under ICT, everyday acts of kindness, such as a neighbor bringing soup to someone who is ill, are seen as essential forms of healthcare. These actions foster social support and community resilience, which are critical for health and wellbeing.
Further Reading: "The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life" by Piero Ferrucci explores how simple acts of kindness can foster social support and community resilience.
Urban Planning as Health Policy
ICT broadens the scope of public health to include urban planning initiatives like creating walkable cities, green spaces, and community gardens. These efforts are not merely aesthetic improvements but are fundamental public health interventions that promote physical activity, reduce stress, and enhance social interactions.
Further Reading: "Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design" by Charles Montgomery discusses how urban planning initiatives are fundamental public health interventions.
Cultural Traditions as Care
Indigenous healing practices, community rituals, and cultural traditions that foster social cohesion and mental health are integral to a holistic healthcare system. These practices recognize the importance of cultural and social dimensions in health, aligning with theories like Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory.
Further Reading: "Transcultural Nursing: Concepts, Theories, Research & Practice" by Madeleine Leininger emphasizes the importance of culturally specific care practices.
Creative Therapies
Community art classes, music therapy sessions, and local theater productions play a significant role in maintaining mental and emotional health. These activities provide therapeutic benefits, enhance community engagement, and support mental health, aligning with the broader definitions of health in ICT.
Further Reading: "The Creative Cure: How Finding and Freeing Your Inner Artist Can Heal Your Life" by Jacob Nordby illustrates how creative activities provide therapeutic benefits and support mental health.
Food as Medicine
Nutrition education programs, community kitchens, and initiatives to improve access to healthy food are crucial for health promotion. These efforts highlight the role of diet in preventing and managing diseases, emphasizing a holistic approach to health that includes social determinants like food security.
Further Reading: "Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet--One Bite at a Time" by Dr. Mark Hyman highlights the role of diet in preventing and managing diseases.
Social Connections as Therapy
Social clubs, support groups, and community centers that combat isolation and foster a sense of belonging are powerful health interventions. They are particularly beneficial for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or those with chronic illnesses, by providing emotional support and reducing loneliness.
Further Reading: "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World" by Dr. Vivek H. Murthy explores how social connections provide powerful health interventions.
Implications for Health Policy and Community Development
ICT suggests that investing in strong communities, social support networks, and healthy environments is as important as funding hospitals and medical research. This expanded understanding of healthcare calls for policies that support community-based care networks and recognize the inherent caring capacities within communities.
Further Reading: "The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger" by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argues for investing in strong communities and social support networks.
Challenges to Neoliberal Health Models
ICT challenges the commodification of healthcare, emphasizing the value of non-transactional forms of care. It advocates for a collective approach to wellbeing, countering the neoliberal notion of health as an individual responsibility.
Further Reading: "The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills" by David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu challenges the commodification of healthcare and advocates for a collective approach to wellbeing.
Integration with Traditional Healthcare
ICT does not diminish the importance of traditional healthcare institutions and professionals. Instead, it promotes an integrated approach where these institutions work synergistically with community-based care networks, recognizing and supporting the inherent caring capacities within communities.
Further Reading: "Health Care Under the Knife: Moving Beyond Capitalism for Our Health" by Howard Waitzkin provides a trenchant analysis of health care and population health under neoliberal capitalism, advocating for non-capitalist networks of good health through community organizations and national programs that advocate free and comprehensive health care for all.
By embracing a more expansive understanding of healthcare through ICT, we can create more resilient, compassionate, and healthy communities. This perspective encourages us to recognize and nurture the diverse forms of care that exist outside traditional healthcare settings, ultimately fostering a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing.
As we continue to explore the implications of Inherent Care Theory, we invite you to think about how this perspective might change the way you view healthcare and wellbeing in your own life and community. What forms of care and support exist outside of traditional healthcare settings? How might we better recognize and nurture these vital resources?
By embracing a more expansive understanding of healthcare, we have the potential to create more resilient, compassionate, and healthy communities.
