Bring the Crew Back Home. Managing Director & Medical Doctor - Chair ISMH17 | Maritime & Remote Healthcare | Maritime Training | Rotterdam - NL | Reno - USA
How would you feel? Living and working out on the oceans can be rewarding, but also incredibly hard sometimes. How to improve mental healthcare at sea? There is no simple one-fits-all solution. Most seafarers love their job and the sea. But all of them, men and women, want to be heard. Like anyone else, they need to be appreciated and respected for the work they do. They need genuine interest in their work. And care and attention from fellow humans. How you achieve this will vary greatly by culture, location and other factors. There’s not one ‘standard’ seafarer, there are almost two million of them. Many initiatives for your ships and crews you can perfectly come up with yourself. But most importantly: keep any initiatives going 365 days per year. Treat them like you would want to be treated yourself. Seafarers are one family when out at sea. Treat them like family – your family. Because they are. #mentalhealth #seafarers #shipping #offshore Read more expert advice on SAFETY4SEA at this #WorldMentalHealthDay
Mark Beuger
1mo
Important subject. Given the diversity of crews the Platinum Rule may be more applicable: Treat people the way they want to be treated.
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2moThanks Walther Boon for shedding light on the mental health challenges faced by seafarers and "The Golden Rule" treating others as we’d want to be treated. Appreciation, respect, and empathy are universal needs, especially in such demanding environments. Indeed there's probably no "on size fits all" solution, so it's good to keep contact with our family at sea and foster a culture where seafarers feel truly valued, just as we would hope for ourselves.