Have You Heard Of People-First Language?
In October 2020, the CG Zest Wellness team hosted Zest Fest. One of the keynote speakers for Zest Fest was Amy Vest. One of the takeaway lessons from Amy was learning how an individual’s environment can influence their health. In other words, behavior change must consider the environment. If we can get our environment right, so to say, we can set ourselves up for success that much more, and progress towards our best selves, through health and wellness.
The purpose of this article is to provide additional insight on how in the domain of health and wellness, the environment matters.
To begin, let’s ensure we are on the same page. When it is mentioned that environment matters, this means health and wellness are more than simply personal choices or personal responsibility. So, it’s not always solely about someone making poor choices. Cue in, the social determinants of health, illustrated by the below image, a reference to The Dahlgren-Whitehead rainbow model.
The lesson here is to walk away from this blog post knowing that behavior change and health status are complex, and we do not know someone’s story – the social determinants of health unique to them. Therefore, we cannot resort to blame or shame. In order to act with understanding, civility, and respect, we can use people-first language, and this includes within the workplace. Yes, indeed, using people-first language can be inserted into your wellness program.
People-first language refers to someone as an individual first, and the health condition second. People-first language is also appropriate for referring to disability. It is about emphasizing abilities, not limitations. We use people-first language to describe what someone has, not what they are or is. In doing so, we separate the health condition, or disability, from someone’s identity. Person-first-language is the standard for respectfully addressing someone with a chronic disease, rather than labeling them. To whichever disease someone may have, it may not define them as person or individual (Adapted from Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities).
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” – Mark Twain
In action, this can look like the following. Rather than saying “obese people” or “diabetic person” or “hypertensive patient”, we can instead use terms such as “people with obesity” or “person with diabetes” or “patient living with hypertension” (Source: Obesity Canada). Further, “a man walks with crutches,” not “he is crippled.” “People with disabilities”, not “the handicapped, or the disabled”. “A child with autism” instead of “the autistic.”
Interested in ensuring your wellness program uses people-first language, and in doing so, operates with practices reflective of accessibility? Speak to one of our Wellness Coordinators today, who are happy to help guide you through the journey.
CG Zest Wellness is a comprehensive Wellness Program for Coralisle Group Ltd. To learn more visit www.cgzestwellness.com or www.joinzestwellness.com.
