Health & Wellness
Last modified Monday, September 15, 2008 15:31
Good health is essential for maintaining the quality of life for older adults. That is why the Atlanta Regional Commission has expanded its array of health and wellness programs, which are funded in part through the Older Americans Act.
Health Promotion Programs
Current ARC Disease Prevention and Management Programs:
Vision and Hearing Screening Programs- This program fosters partnerships between provider groups (i.e. Prevent Blindness Georgia, Lions lighthouse, etc.) and county agencies in order to provide vision and hearing screenings, complete ear and eye exams by a doctor, select frames and receive a complete set of new glasses within 2-3 weeks, receive hearing aids and participate in educational events to older adult participants. Eye Care and Glasses for Georgia's Underprivileged Seniors (PDF)
Cholesterol Management Program – Health University modeled after the “Taking Health to Heart: Older Adults Managing Cholesterol” initiative – this program in partnership with Pfizer and Cobb County aging services conducted Pre and post Cholesterol screening, monthly educational classes, on-going exercise programs, monthly mailings of “Close to the Heart” educational materials and facilitates one on one counseling by health professionals.
Living Well Workshops – These workshops are based on the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). The training consists of 2.5 hour classes each week for a 6 week period and it is intended for older adults (10-15 per class) with a diagnosis of one or more chronic diseases. The training teaches techniques to deal with the symptoms of fatigue, pain, stress/anxiety, tense muscles, difficult emotions and shortness of breath. Action plans are created to find solutions to the medical, social, and emotional aspects of these symptoms. Stanford University initially trained 22 “Master Trainers” and 3 “Lay Leaders” who are certified to conduct “self management” workshops. In addition, “Master Trainers” are able to train “Lay Leaders”.
SPARC (Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration) – The ARC, in collaboration with local partner agencies, is implementing a community-based model designed to increase the use of preventative health services by older adults. These partnerships are designed to promote disease prevention by delivering numerous services in one setting (“Bundling of Services”). CDC partnered with ARC in a pilot project to implement this initiative in three community based agencies (CBA’s) - Fayette Senior Services, DeKalb County Office of Senior Affairs and Fulton County Office of Aging. Data was collected and results shared with the originator of this model.
Current Physical Activity and Social Interaction Programs:
Pedometer Walking Program – “Steps to Health Aging”- Promotes walking. ARC in partnership with AARP and CBA’s seniors will receive a pedometer during a health and wellness kickoff activity.
Live Healthy Georgia…Seniors Taking Charge - Live Health Georgia is an annual event to promote the Governors Wellness Campaign which encourages Georgians to: “Be Active, Get Checked, Be Smoke-Free, Eat Healthy and Be Positive”. The overall goal of this campaign is to develop, implement and evaluate community education interventions offered to older adults. The education interventions focus on increasing older adult participants knowledge regarding the importance of fruits and vegetables, regular physical activity, heart health and improving self-management of diabetes. Fact Sheet: Live Healthy Georgia: A campaign to reduce chronic disease in Georgia (PDF)
For more information about any of the programs listed above, contact us at 404-463-3289.
