In Europe, people with disabilities are encouraged to take health vacations at the spas. In fact, the German government places such a high value on lifelong health that it will often pay for civil servants' time away at the spa to improve health and resultant productivity on the job. A European health vacation for a person with a chronic neuromuscular impairment is covered by health insurance because it is viewed as a practical strategy to help prevent or delay the onset of new health problems, including secondary disabilities.

A holistic (comprehensive and integrated) wellness program there considers the whole person as a unit with interlaced parts that have a dramatic effect on each other. This type of program addresses a person's total needs: those of the mind, body, and spirit. For each of these three areas, a typical German spa program, for example, offers a time for information sharing, education, treatments and activities. Holistic programs include psychotherapy, stress management, cultural activities, customized exercise programs and nutrition education for weight management - all within the framework of one's disability.

The required elements of the spas' unique holistic approach include: a residential time away from home, a relaxed and aesthetically delightful environment, a group of individualized exercise, nutritional and recreational treatments, an individualized health education program, and a time to set goals for long-term follow-through of health enhancing behaviors. One would travel to and reside at a beautiful resort-village that is completely accessible, and has staff ready and willing to help customize a plan for a total wellness program - a fun-filled plan to earnestly enjoy and take part in.

Water exercise class at a spa

Doctors on staff evaluate one's health, and with the individual, set up a plan for the stay. This could include selected indoor exercise on workout equipment, or yoga and Tai Chi classes; or outdoor recreational activities such as swimming, group games and sports, boating, fishing, archery, golf, horseback riding, or hiking. Meals that are customized to one's dietary needs are served daily in the dining rooms. Massage, physiotherapy, aromatherapy, and acupuncture top a list of complementary treatments available. Spiritual renewal, meditation and stress management classes are available. Artistically and intellectually stimulating options might include attending concerts, drawing and painting, sculpting, making ceramic works of art, or taking part in nature tours and classes. After each activity, a rest period is also included. Mid-day naps are an important feature of a well-balanced spa program, valued as highly regenerative and healthful.

The goal of a holistic spa program is to maximize a person's physical, mental and emotional health. Programs are designed to set the person on a renewed life course toward greater health promotion and teach the participant how to incorporate health-enhancing behaviors into his or her everyday life. Werner Rink, M.D., Medical Director at Klinikum Passauer Wolf at the Bavarian health spa, Bad Griesbach, comments, "Austria also has a long tradition of spas, as well as the Czech Republic, which is just returning to the European market with its old spas that are now newly renovated and price-competitive."