Compassion             Empowerment            Fiscal Intelligence

Marti Trudeau, RN, MPA, DSW

  © Marti Trudeau 2020 Any use of these materials, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication,  without the prior written consent of  the author, is strictly  prohibited.

The mission of my work is to provide healthcare consumers with practical information including options that may open opportunities for a healthy life for caregivers or for those receiving care. My work is informed by the belief that 50-80% of health is related to social determinants which are aspects of where we live, learn, work, and play. Relieving people of at least some of the burden of adverse social elements will help decrease healthcare utilization and health disparities. Relevant stakeholders should have opportunities to act compassionately while being fiscally intelligent  by supporting in-home evaluations of social determinants of health and remediation efforts to resolve adverse situations.

One way to address adverse social elements is to enhance the knowledge of all healthcare providers so they understand what social determinants are and methods to address adverse social determinants. There are benefits of enhancing the education of  all types of providers but Direct Care Workers (Nurse aide, Home health aide, etc.) are untapped resources for observing and resolving negative elements impacting healthcare consumers who are experiencing long term, disabling conditions. They are often very close with their clients, allowing them to see first hand what is going on.

This work is motivated by the blended values of Compassion, Empowerment, and Fiscal Intelligence.