What is a Health Coach?
A Health Coach is a valuable part of a collaborative community care team that supports an individual throughout the intricate journey toward better health. Bredesen Protocol® Trained Health Coaches partner with individuals and their care partners by providing support, accountability, resources, education, goal setting, and strategizing to understand and adopt the changes required to prevent and reverse cognitive decline.
Why a Bredesen Protocol Trained Health Coach?
Coaches that are currently among our community of providers have been certified through the National Board for Health and Wellness (NBHWC) and have previously completed training in the Bredesen Protocol for ReCODE, under the guidance of Dr. Bredesen and some of the top experts in the field of brain health.
Apollo Health’s new training, ReCODE 2.0 for Coaches is the gold-standard for any qualified coach desiring to work with clients in the areas of prevention or reversal of cognitive decline. It is designed to complement the recently updated ReCODE 2.0 Training for Practitioners.
One of our ReCODE+ participants shared what she felt about her coaching experience:
“Comforted that I am not alone trying to figure out all of the parts of the protocol. Optimistic that all of our knowledge, together, will move the ‘how-to’ of the protocol forward in a clear way. Making new friends facing the same issues you are, learning to do the protocol in all of its many parts. Enjoying the many resources that coaches bring to us; videos, articles, Ted Talks, to name a few, all to help us learn new habits and ways to live the protocol. Learn from each other, our shared experience, on what works well, to solve the varied problems we may encounter. Confidence that brain health can be the sum of all of the varied inputs of our daily lives.” — Jennifer
If I have a practitioner, why do I need a coach?
Practitioners and coaches have distinct but synergistic roles in the protocol journey. A Bredesen Trained Practitioner will use data generated by a PreCODE or ReCODE report to provide a prescriptive treatment plan for a patient. A practitioner might be considered the “what” of the protocol. Keeping with that theme, coaches work with clients to strategize and facilitate the “how-to.” Consistent and sustainable success in preventing or reversing cognitive decline requires both of these critical components.
How does coaching work?
Coaches occupy several specialized and significant roles, whether working as part of an integrated care team or individually. Some of these roles include:
- Acting as liaison/translator between practitioner and patient when receiving what can often be complex information and instructions.
- Helping clients create clear and attainable strategies for implementing the Bredesen Protocol into their lives, thus ensuring consistent and sustainable progress.
- Assisting and supporting care partners as they navigate their important and challenging role while still maintaining self-care and resilience.
- Providing support and expertise in building a care team for those just getting started.
As many coaches successfully work in a virtual setting with clients, being geographically challenged or reluctant to travel should not keep anyone from engaging in a beneficial coach/client relationship. Whether one prefers to work virtually or in-person, the Apollo Health Practitioner Locator Tool can help in finding a perfect match.
If I do not need a 1:1 coach at this time, how else might I get access to the benefits of coaching?
The benefits of a PreCODE or ReCODE membership are many, including coaching resources available through Apollo’s member portal, which are::
- A variety of resources and guides on habit and behavior change, curated by the Apollo Health coaching team.
- Access to our monthly webinar series, “Coaching Connection,” that offers a wide range of coaching topics as they relate to the protocol and associated issues. You can watch part of a past webinar below.
- Support and answers to specific questions through the Apollo Health ReCODE/PreCODE Member Forum, which is moderated by the Apollo medical team and coaches.
- The ability to join in one of our program upgrades currently underway, such as the monthly support group for care partners or our 6-month PreCODE+ and ReCODE+ group coaching programs. The Apollo Health coaching team is developing several new programs for early 2021, including a CaRe+ – Caregiver’s Resilience Program and Type 3/Toxic Subtype Support Group.