MODELS FOR PRACTICE
FOCUS
AREA: EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS
Program Name: The Living Well Longer
Council of
Location:
Healthy People 2010 Objective: 7
Web Address: www.sunshineterrace.com
The goal of the Living
Well Longer Council is to serve older adults of all racial and ethnic groups
throughout
Blueprint: The Living Well Longer
Council is a collaborative effort between numerous partners, with the Sunshine
Terrace Foundation and the
The Living Well Longer Council has no paid staff, as
it is an unfunded initiative. The members of the council are volunteers
representing their individual organizations. Their interest is promoting wellness
in older adults in the northern
The Living Well Longer
Council conducts needs assessment surveys in the small
Services provided by the council include flu
vaccines and pneumovax clinics, as well as prostate and breast cancer
screenings, educational brochures, medication regime compliance education,
improved street and yard lighting for vulnerable seniors, annual educational
senior workshops or wellness conferences, and a radio spot aired twice daily on
Utah Public Radio¾KUSU and KUER (91.5 and 89.5
FM). The three-minute radio show is designed to promote wellness and healthy
aging in older adults. The topics include basic pointers for self-care;
wellness promotion; information on Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care
insurance; end-of-life decisions; information on the some of the common health
problems of older adults (high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, etc.); how
to choose and communicate effectively with a physician; and general information
on being a caregiver and resources available to caregivers.
Thanks to Bear River Health Department and a USU
student intern, a brochure entitled “Taking Medications Safely” was produced
for seniors and distributed through the local pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and
the agencies involved on the council. An informational brochure was also
created to describe the council’s mission, which is displayed at clinics and conferences.
Annual senior
conferences are held to address concerns of the elderly in their communities.
The council identifies topics of special concern to seniors via the evaluation
form, which is used at the workshop, and these topics are featured at the next
conference. These conferences routinely have 65 to over 100 people attend. They
invite seniors and providers of senior services from surrounding counties as
well. The conferences are free of charge, and various council members provide
and fund food, space, mailing, services, etc. The
The Bear River Health Department and the Living Well
Longer Council have developed a record card of immunizations for seniors to
place in their wallet. The card has been made available to physicians’ offices
and the hospital, as well as being used at the department.
Currently, they are working to advocate for a better
sidewalk system in the Valley, particularly in the
A basic goal of the council is to educate seniors
and caregivers as to the resources available in their county; promote wellness
in older adults through education; and encourage the elderly to take preventive
actions such as good nutrition, exercise, immunizations, compliance with their
physician’s recommendations, avoiding smoking, household safety, use of safety
belts, etc.
Making
a Difference: The Living Well Longer Council plans and sets goals as a group. They
thoroughly follow up on the progress of their goals by improving or changing
them if no progress has been made. New goals are set yearly. The entire council
is alert to identifying new ways to promote healthy aging and to identify the
new needs of older adults. The council conducts written surveys of the
community groups with whom they work, following the actions taken as a result
of the needs assessment. The council has now done this twice, and both surveys
indicated satisfaction with the outcomes of their efforts and a desire to
continue working with them. The council also measures success by comments
received from community members on the radio program, conferences, and
brochures. An evaluation form is distributed at each conference. They measure
their success by regular self-assessment of the action and of progress on
goals.
Beginnings: Sara
Sinclair brought the idea for the Living Well Longer Council to the Bear River
Health Department, the Bear River Area Agency on Aging, and the Senior Services
Director of Logan Regional Hospital in the spring of 1997. At that time, Sara
was the Director of the Division of Health Systems Improvement at the Utah
Department of Health. She attended a Centers for Disease Control/Agency on
Aging (CDC/AOA) conference in
The Living Well Longer
Council idea was accepted with enthusiasm and implemented later that year when Sara
Sinclair returned to the leadership of the Sunshine Terrace Foundation and
teamed with Ginger Anderson, Senior Services Director at
Challenges
and Solutions:
The Living Well Longer Council maintains close contact with the Cache Valley
Mayors Association to keep them apprised of the needs identified by seniors in
their communities and to keep them up to date on the services the Living Well
Longer Council provides to their communities. Several members of the council
have joined together to address the education and support of caregivers, who
are often older adults themselves. To be successful, the council must focus on
goals, achieve ongoing involvement of council members, seek additional
involvement from others, continue to win the support of the local mayors and
community groups, and maintain the high level of commitment from council
members.
The Living Well Longer Council was shared at the
Program/Idea Exchange session of the National Council on Aging/American Society
on Aging Joint Conference in March 2003.
Sara Sinclair
The Living Well Longer Council of
Sunshine Terrace Foundation
225 North 200 West
Phone: (435) 754-0216
Fax: (435) 752-1318