Wow, where did 2024 go? As we approach the end of the year, I took some time to review each post, re-read your comments, and look at the data from my website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to see how my posts resonate with my readers. I chose the Top Ten posts to highlight and retrospectively share what they meant to me. I hope you enjoy this “Lookback on 2024! ”

Each year, I am humbled that YOU took the time to read my Blog Posts. Your engagement and insights from my posts are invaluable as they tell me I am hitting a cord. I hope the posts have left you thinking and given insight into our challenges and opportunities as we navigate the complex healthcare system and how we each can do our part to improve things.

In 2025, my goal is to continue empowering people (all stakeholders) who use the healthcare system to set realistic goals and do their part to improve their health so they can be the best they can be. Your participation is crucial in this mission.

As we saw with the recent shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, there is much discontent from all sides about how the healthcare system and the health insurance industry work. This discontent is not good and puts us all at risk. We must all do our part to understand each stakeholder’s role and work together to address the problems. I will work to address issues and solutions to help us all be our own best advocates. I hope you will join me!

I wrote 40 Blog posts this year. Here are the top ten posts for 2024. If you have not read them, click on the title.

1. Tooting My Own Horn: Apex Award 2024 When I started my Blog, I promised myself I would look to various ways to be recognized for my writings. The APEX Awards and others listed on the right rail of the website allowed me to show that my writing was rewarded. In addition to the awards, I have been asked to speak on radio shows and write in different magazines for my expertise, the ability to educate and empower people (patients and caregivers), and members of the broad healthcare team. For this, I am grateful.
2. A Time to Look Back to Move Forward with a Clean Slate: This post was about looking back and assessing where you are and where you want to go. I highly recommend doing this occasionally, as it helps you stay on track. Writing enables you to express yourself in a way that helps you learn and grow. The comments I received from this post helped others do the same. Best to you all as you move forward in your careers!
3. Patient-Centered Care for Real: In this post, I talked about patient-centered care and gave an example of an experience I had when I did home care in the mid-80s. We have so much theory in healthcare – studies show it takes about 17 years to impact clinical practice. I wish that each of us reflect on our experiences and what we do to improve the healthcare system for the people we encounter on our journey. Your experiences are valuable and can contribute to the improvement of the system.
4. How are YOU Preparing for Retirement? This was a post where I talked about preparing for retirement. It is a topic I will focus on more in 2025. Everyone, especially our youth, must get into the habit of saving for ‘that rainy day’. If you don’t, you will be lost when an accident, illness, or catastrophic event occurs. If there is one post I hope you take away in 2024, it is this one. Please share it with your family and friends to plant the seed!
5. Have You Heard About GLIMMERS? This was a special post for me. 2024 was a challenging year with the election and other events that made me question what is happening in our world. Somewhere, I heard about ‘Glimmers’. I looked more into it and found out that ‘Glimmers’ refers to small moments when our biology is in a place of connection or regulation, which cues our nervous system to feel safe or calm. These small, everyday moments can bring us joy, safety, or connection. It was just what I needed, and I began to look for the ‘Glimmers’ that had wandered into my life. In 2025, I hope you all find and appreciate these ‘Glimmers’ in your own lives!
6. Engaging Patients in Decision-making and Behavior Change to Promote Wellness This post followed a previous post on patient engagement. The comments from the first post made me think deeper and conclude that getting people (the patient and their caregivers) involved in the process is critical to containing healthcare costs, improving access to care, and humanizing healthcare. Unless you have been a patient in today’s complex healthcare system, you might not ‘see’ the inequities we all face. I have often said, “The healthcare system is built for the healthcare system, not the people who use it.” Patient engagement is key to changing this and making healthcare a service that meets the needs of the people who use it.
7. Communicating with ChatBots Without Losing Your Mind is another topic I will continue to explore in 2025. Technology is changing how we live and work. AI is in its infancy but is moving rapidly in all areas of life. We must pay attention and use safety techniques to prevent the unauthorized use of our personal information.
8. September is National Suicide Prevention Month: What to Know, Resources to Help. We live in stressful times. Stress can push people into dark places that make them vulnerable and desperate. Over the past years, there has been a lot of study on Suicide, but we still have a long way to go. I will cover this topic and other challenges threatening our safety and well-being.
9. Building Trust with Your Health Insurance Company. This was a post I wrote in February 2024. This was a post that I hope people read and share as it is an educational piece that all can benefit. We all need to be our own advocates, but to do that, you need to know how the system works. I will cover more topics like this in 2025, so stay tuned!
10. What are you Reading? This post shared many of my writings over the past several years. These publications are referred to as “Evergreen Content.” I learned this term when I worked with Dorland Health. It is a term used in Marketing and the content area of writing. Evergreen content is content that remains relevant and valuable to your target audience over a long period, regardless of when it was first published. This type of content is designed to stay relevant and fresh, even as time passes, and can be repurposed and reused in various ways. I hope you will read this post and some pertinent writings today!

I hope you will read or reread the ‘Top Ten Blog Posts for 2024’ when you have some downtime over the next two weeks. These posts cover various healthcare topics, from patient-centered care to retirement planning. They will provide valuable insights and knowledge to you, your family, friends, and colleagues, so please feel free to share!

Thank you for your support and friendship and for reading Nursing Advocate weekly. I look forward to your continued participation, which drives me to write.

If you have a topic you want to learn more about in 2025, let me know.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2025! I will be back on January 6^th with new posts and insights!

Best

Anne Llewellyn, Nurses Advocate