Healthcare Trends for Family Wellness
As new tech emerges in the field of healthcare, you may have noticed a rise in AI, telehealth offerings, wearable devices, and other exciting innovations. Read on to delve into the top healthcare trends for families in 2024 and how you can use these tools to find more emotional balance and physical vitality throughout the year and beyond.
What Will Family Health & Wellness Look Like Next Year?
According to Bernard Marr, a best-selling author and futurist, the key societal factors influencing healthcare in 2024 are a combination of people living longer, transformative tech, and economic uncertainty.1
From wearable devices that monitor your health all day to AI that can detect human emotions, it can sometimes seem like the latest tech is lifted from a sci-fi novel. But such innovations may help us move away from treating illnesses to potentially preventing them altogether. With easy access to your own health metrics, personalized nutrition, and sophisticated genetic testing, you can make proactive decisions to optimize your health and reduce the risk of future health crises.
Here are some of the top family healthcare trends we’re looking forward to in 2024.
1. Emphasis on Mental Health and Mindfulness
While scientists have not yet identified a gene for mental illness, there is evidence that certain mental disorders tend to run in families. If you have a close relative with a mental disorder, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will develop a mental disorder, but it does mean you are at higher risk.2
In 2024, you will see more emphasis on mental health and how to use mindfulness to support every member of the family. This includes a push for “mental health days” for students, online mental health platforms for kids and teens, and a plethora of mental health apps that promote mindfulness skills for the whole family, such as Calm® and Headspace®.3
2. Remote Fitness Classes for Families
Our increasingly busy lives can sometimes leave little room for exercise. As families seek convenient ways to stay active and healthy, remote fitness classes have gained popularity. These virtual sessions cater to all age groups and fitness levels, encouraging families to engage in physical activities together from the comfort of their homes. These include family workout classes from Peloton®, kid-friendly fitness channels on YouTube®, and even VR fitness games.4
3. Plant-Based Diets
According to reports conducted by The Specialty Food Association (SFA) and Whole Foods Market®, 2024 will put plant-based diets front and center.5 As people become more informed on the dangers of processed foods, there will be a bigger focus on whole foods, including mushrooms, nuts, tempeh, and legumes. There will also be more vegan alternatives to meat, including plant-based seafood, usually made from soy, wheat, pea, and konjac.
4. Personalized Nutrition for Children
Each person has their own unique nutritional needs based on our genetic makeup and individual characteristics. Personalized nutrition aims to provide dietary advice based on a person’s specific genotype and individual characteristics.6 For children, this can be accomplished by working with a registered dietician or nutritionist and/or using DNA testing kits. But you can also gain insights from certain tools like MyPlatePlan from the USDA, the AI platform Wello®, and nutrition tracking apps.7, 8, 9
5. Increased Integration of Virtual Care (Telehealth)
Telehealth sites became increasingly popular during the pandemic when people were discouraged from leaving their homes. While the global emergency regarding COVID-19 has subsided, telehealth persists, and 2024 will see increased integration of virtual care. This may include remote patient monitoring, at-home testing products, and online mental/behavioral healthcare for children.10
6. Genomic Medicine
Genomic medicine, which examines how a person’s genes shape their health, will become even more expansive in 2024. AI will be leveraged to analyze a person’s DNA to diagnose and treat specific diseases and to create personalized medicines.11 The intention of genomic medicine is to improve patient outcomes and make more efficient use of medical resources.
7. Wearable Devices
From smart watches to smart rings, there are a number of wearable devices available today that monitor various aspects of your health, such as how many steps you’ve walked or how well you slept last night. In 2024, wearable devices may be used by doctors to monitor patients remotely. They will also likely be used to provide early warning signs for health issues for preventative care.
Personal wearable health devices have also become more sophisticated in the kind of data they provide. For instance, the Muse 2® wearable detects brain activity to help understand your stress triggers. Another wearable, Feelzing, is a neurostimulation patch said to improve energy and reduce stress through electricity.12 There are also smart sleeves, smart shirts, shoe inserts and more.
8. The Rise of Fasting
Though humans have been fasting for centuries, 2024 will see some innovations to support your fasting protocol. Mobile apps such as Zero® and LIFE® provide fasting timers and tips. And products like intermittent fasting kits and “fasting tea” are said to help you stick with your fast.13
Please note, if you are thinking of completing a fast, be sure to check with your doctor first if you have any medical conditions. You should also be aware of some of the consequences associated with extreme fasting. For instance, some studies show that people who fast more than 16 or 18 hours a day have an increased risk of developing gallstones.14
9. Emotive AI in Healthcare
Emotive AI promises to help machines detect human emotions and respond appropriately. This can be incredibly impactful in healthcare, especially in the realm of digital health. For instance, health chatbots can be trained to assess a person’s health needs and direct them toward helpful resources in an empathetic manner.15 Emotive AI can also detect subtle emotional states and non-verbal cues, which can be useful during remote healthcare appointments or when assessing patients with autism, dementia, or other conditions in which communication may not be as straightforward.
10. Community Health Initiatives
Community-focused health programs are on the rise, promoting well-being through collective efforts. These initiatives address local health challenges and promote healthy lifestyles, emphasizing the importance of a supportive community for individual health. Most hospitals and healthcare centers offer accessible health programs in their community. This may include classes and workshops on health education, resources on preventative healthcare, and increased access to nutritious foods and fitness programs.
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, these trends are helping to shape the future of wellness. Whether it's a heightened focus on mental health or the integration of groundbreaking technology, these trends are driving positive changes in our approach to health and well-being.
If you’re looking to improve your mental health in 2024, find out how Brillia can help. We use a holistic approach, called the 5 Pillars, to address symptoms of anxiety, stress, hyperactivity, and irritability while improving focus, attention, and emotional regulation. These pillars consist of healthy lifestyle choices proven to help control symptoms related to emotional dysregulation and executive dysfunction, helping you feel calmer and more focused. These healthy lifestyle choices include proper nutrition, adequate sleep, controlled screen time, and mindfulness. On our website at the Brillia(nce) Resource Center you will find guidance and tips on how to master these healthy habits and better control your symptoms. These resources are suitable for any member of the family, whether you are a child, teen, or adult.
While these pillars set a foundation for long-term change, if you need more support, consider taking non-prescription Brillia. As an alternative to prescription pharmaceuticals, Brillia combines antibody science and behavioral modification to improve mental clarity without harsh, synthetic chemicals or harmful side effects.
Safe for children, teens, and adults, Brillia’s unique targeted ingredient consists of antibodies to the brain-specific S100B protein, which plays a crucial role in intraneuronal communication. By regulating the activity of this protein and normalizing the neurotransmitters associated with stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, Brillia offers a gentle and impactful approach to optimizing your mental health.
Learn more about how Brillia works and explore our holistic 5-Pillar methodology.
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