2020 brought much upheaval for expats: working contracts and career plans have changed, regular travel is almost impossible and families won’t be able to reunite for the holidays as usual. There are ongoing worries about our health, as well as new advice to follow and systems to learn. Many of us will be working remotely, in a place we might be just learning to call home. Life is different now, and just like you, all of us here at Allianz Care have been adapting and growing within this remarkable new environment.
This year more than ever, we’ve been there for our community with practical help for individuals, couples and families when they needed it most. Our Medi 24 helpline was available all day, every day, offering vital medical advice and much-needed reassurance when information was often in short supply. Over the last few years, we’ve focused on building digital access to our care, introducing the MyHealth app, the Symptom Checker, the Health Assistant and our Health & Wellness Hub. By putting technology to work, our expats could manage their health and wellness from their phones or computers, in the safety and comfort of their homes. We even created a new fitness app, called HealthSteps, with personalised guidance to help them to stay active and track their fitness progress, whether they like to work out in their local park or their living room.
We also provided support and administration assistance to corporations, businesses and organisations in managing their globally mobile workforce in a rapidly-changing environment. We relied on our decades of experience in the field to develop key services such as Olive, our proactive care engine developed to support employees on their journey to a long, happy and healthy life. For professionals living and working abroad, navigating a new culture can be difficult, especially during times of unprecedented change. Our Expat Assistance Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day, delivering multilingual and confidential support, including podcasts, wellness articles and expert counselling on the issues that weigh heavily on expat minds, from debt support to childcare.
We know that being an expat comes with unique challenges as well as opportunities, and so we’re committed to helping expats find their ‘happy place’, no matter where they live and work. This year our ‘Happiness Project’ has been more important than ever, and we’ve worked with international wellbeing practitioners to bring you guidance, support and words of comfort and encouragement. Our Happiness Hub is packed full of videos, articles, and a popular webinar on how to factor happiness into day-to-day expat life, led by renowned Science of Happiness expert and TedX Speaker Vanessa King. We’ve all been using social media more than ever to stay connected, and so we’ve filled our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds with top tips on how to #TakeBackHappy. Our expert expats have shared advice on staying well, eating healthily, exercising safely, building resilience and practicing mindfulness. We work hard to make sure our expats can make the most of their overseas assignments, finding joy in their professional and private lives, wherever they are in the world.
At Allianz Care our mission is to support you and your family, keeping you well, mentally and physically, in good times and bad, at home and abroad. We’re here for all expats, from digital nomads to diplomats, corporate execs to international volunteers, as well as trailing spouses, schoolchildren, and even the families you’re planning to have. We close this year with news of positive developments coming in 2021, with extraordinary medical and scientific advancements and a worldwide community focused on changing for the better, working together towards a common goal of health and safety for all. It looks like there’s a brighter future ahead, but no matter what the new year brings, Allianz Care will be here as your global health partner, making life simpler, easier and safer.
