Creative policy-making. Strategies for working with the healthy chronically diseased employee

As society ages and employees remain in the workplace longer, business managers must develop policies for maintaining the healthy chronically diseased employee in the workplace. With continuing increases in health care insurance costs, business should begin to look at chronic conditions which require repeat visits as well as "big ticket items." Based on an employee perspective approach, a model which presents three categories of healthy chronically diseased employees is utilized in teaching self care activities to insure a productive outcome for the employee. Self-care activities are a key component of the health promotion model, of which four aspects are included: information giving and seeking, encouraging self-responsibility, decision-making, and continued support and follow up.