Women tend to be the chief caregivers in most families, but who takes care of Mom?
A recent survey done by HealthyWomen in partnership with Redbook magazine and GCI Health found that 45 percent of women ages 30-60 “do not make time to focus on their own health.”
That’s a tough pill to swallow for HealthyWomen, a leading information source on women’s health since 1988. The Red Bank-based organization’s goal is to help women make informed decisions about their health and the health of their families. HealthyWomen is, in essence, giving women “permission to take care of ourselves,” says Beth Battaglino, CEO of the nonprofit and a registered nurse at Riverview Medical Center-Hackensack Meridian Health.
In addition to encouraging women to have conversations with their health care providers, HealthyWomen brings women up to speed on health-care policy. The group also advocates for research specific to women’s health. The goal is to move past the days when women were excluded from clinical trials and when a mastectomy was the only treatment for breast cancer.
Thankfully, progress has been made. “We look at the glass as half full,” says Battaglino.
The HealthyWomen website (healthywomen.org) covers such topics as pregnancy and parenting; sex and relationships; and healthy aging.
“We understand our audience and what she needs,” says Battaglino.