My mom is 78 - Personal Health Pathways got her to care about her health again

"At 78, my mom found new purpose, better sleep, and earned her first R500 into her Personal Health Fund - all through Personal Health Pathways"

When Aminda Bronkhorst encouraged her 78-year-old mother, Elizabeth Katerina Gericke - fondly known as 'Bets' - to download the Discovery Health app and activate her Personal Health Pathway, she had one goal: to help her mom stay independent and healthy for as long as possible and nudge her towards being a little more digitally engaged on the app.

"Mom's always been strong and well overall, but she's never really followed a consistent exercise routine or proactively gone for health checks," Aminda explains. "I wanted to change that, and knew from my own experience of the platform that Personal Health Pathways could completely shift things for us and really drive my mom to the right healthy habits for her unique health needs."

It started with a hearing test and a closed health ring

It was in April that Aminda introduced her mom to Personal Health Pathways. Using the Discovery Health app, they activated Bets's pathway, and she could see her personalised set of next best actions.

"The first recommendation was to have a hearing test," Aminda says. "She booked the appointment herself, doing so easily on the app. Thankfully, that test showed no major issue - just a bit of wax that needed to be removed. She sorted it at a pharmacy, and that simple process has helped her to hear better."

More importantly? "She completed her first action, closed her first health ring, and discovered she had earned funds into her Personal Health Fund."

Bets adds, "I love that, over and above the Ðiscovery Miles I earned - because I have a Discovery Bank account too - I got R500 into my Personal Health Fund for closing my health ring. I can use this money for medical expenses. That's really fantastic. From that moment, I was hooked."

Aminda adds, "She started checking the app daily. It was the combination of small wins, rewards and a sense of progress that made it exciting for her, and she loved seeing the personalised recommendations that the app provided around her health or weekly exercise goals."

Stepping into new habits (and new tech)

When Bets saw that her weekly exercise goal on Personal Health Pathways (PHP) was to reach 2,500 steps, she asked how she could track her steps.

"So, my sister Eralda - who lives in the UK - and I, got mom a Garmin watch as a pre-birthday gift (Bets turns 79 at the end of June) and gave it to her on Mother's Day," Aminda says. "We linked it to the Discovery Health app and also signed her up for Vitality so that she could earn both PHP-linked and Vitality rewards, as Vitality members earn both."

Bets hit her 2,500-step goal on the first day of using her new watch.

"I want to reach the highest status - Diamond - so I can get the best Discovery Bank flight discounts and use my Ðiscovery Miles to fund flights for my visits to Eralda in the UK! That is so inspiring."

Now, Bets walks every day, either in her complex or with friends. In the brief time since joining, she's moved from Blue to Bronze Vitality status, and thanks to PHP and Vitality, her motivation to exercise has skyrocketed.

"The exercise means I'm sleeping better, I have more appetite, and I feel more energised," Bets says. "And I love seeing my new weekly exercise goals on the Personal Health Pathways section of my Discovery Health app each Saturday when my exercise goal resets."

Empowering older members - one ring at a time

"I want to inspire others in their 70s and 80s," says Bets. "It's easier than you think to use the apps and digital health platforms, and feel in control of your health."

Aminda and her family made sure her mom had all the tools to succeed: daily-use apps on her phone's primary screen, facial recognition for easy login, and plenty of positive encouragement.

"She's a quick learner and uses WhatsApp and online banking with ease," Aminda says. "But it's PHP that's given her a renewed sense of self-worth."

Bets lives independently, drives (but not at night), and leads a healthy lifestyle. She takes no chronic medicine and has no major health risk factors. Still, having her engaged in PHP has uncovered key areas to stay on top of.

"We were really concerned about her hearing, and now we know it was just wax. That's given us huge peace of mind," Aminda says. "She's also scheduled a bone density scan, which we've snoozed on the app to take place after an upcoming UK trip over June."

Bets's enthusiasm has started to spread through the family.

"She told my aunt about the 'R500 in her Personal Health Fund', and now my cousin is helping her mom get onto PHP too," Aminda says. "The spark is there. Being digitally engaged has nothing to do with age; it's about helping people to understand the offering, getting them started and then seeing how the benefits they feel and see drive their own engagement."

Personal Health Pathways has opened Aminda's eyes to important health steps too

Aminda explains, "I've always been committed to my health and wellness. As a Vitality member on Diamond status, I actively engage in activities that support my physical and mental wellbeing. Staying active not only enhances my overall health but also plays a crucial role in helping me manage stress. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I go for a run that helps me clear my mind and regain focus."

"Engaging with Personal Health Pathways has opened my eyes to several important health actions that I might not have considered. As someone over the age of 50, one of the first and most impactful suggestions I received via my Pathway was to do my colon cancer screening check in the form of a faecal occult blood test (a simple test that looks for signs of blood in a sample of stool). It wasn't something I had previously prioritised, but the guidance in the 'learn more' section, where the suggestion was explained in more detail, encouraged me to take action, and I'm grateful I did. Thankfully, the results came back clear, but this is such an important health check."

What is Personal Health Pathways?

Personal Health Pathways is available to adult DHMS members for free on the Discovery Health app. It offers personalised, real-time health recommendations called next best actions based on each member's unique profile. As a member's health journey evolves, so does their pathway, continuously updating based on their specific health status, risk profile and engagement patterns, dynamically adjusting as new health data become available.

Personal Health Pathways combines artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and behavioural science. The platform uses more than 50 million life years of health claims and clinical data, along with nearly 30 million life years of exercise and lifestyle data gathered through Vitality in South Africa, to recommend actions that have the greatest potential to improve health outcomes.

Each Personal Health Pathways cycle provides up to two clinical actions and one weekly exercise goal, which must be completed by a set date. Members can earn up to R500 into a new Personal Health Fund for each completed action, up to a maximum of R10,000. The money that is accumulated in the Personal Health Fund can be used for day-to-day medical expenses, including GP and specialist consultations, medicine, radiology and pathology. Those Scheme members who are also Vitality members earn personalised rewards through Personal Health Pathways in addition to their Vitality rewards. Additional rewards for all members include shopping vouchers, Ðiscovery Miles and instant rewards.