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ABCD Project Healthy Plus Last Updated: December 8, 2003 Name of Organization/Institution: Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. – Project Healthy Plus and Project Healthy Exercise Plus Keywords: Elder Health; Patient Education and Advocacy Description of best practice: Project Healthy Plus believers that wellness workshops and peer led exercise classes to bring about individual behavior changes and promote socialization/better doctor/patient relationships and help elders become more assertive in demanding better health care. This program consists mainly of Boston Elders who mainly speak English including elders of color. The goal is to increase within the population we work in positive lifestyle changes and reduce isolation and depression. We also seek to increase knowledge about disease prevention and appropriate treatment. Through Project Healthy Plus and its aggressive advocacy component, elders in Boston receive the latest research information on aging well and are shown how to apply that information to their lives. The program dramatically verifies research findings that nutritious eating and active exercise can prevent many diseases. PHP served more than 700 elders in 2001-2002 by providing speakers on osteoporosis, arthritis, asthma and allergies, stress, cancer, doctor/patient rights and responsibilities, healthy foods, vitamins, and supplements, and other topics. The program continues, on a limited basis, its Hospital Advocacy Corps with elder volunteers from Boston’s North End visiting neighbors who have been hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital, insuring their awareness of their rights as patients and their understanding of available follow-up assistance through the North End Neighborhood Service Center. In East Boston, PHP has established a strong relationship between the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Senior Place at the East Boston Social Center and the Safe Neighborhood Initiative and Healthy East Boston. In addition, PHP helped initiate an Elder Supermarket Committee in the North End, West End and Beacon Hill to advocate for an affordable and accessible supermarket, working with city and state officials and local development coalitions. With funding from the Older Americans Act, Project Healthy Exercise Plus (PHEP) has established more than 20 classes in 10 neighborhoods. Twenty-four volunteer elder trainers, bring therapeutic exercise and osteoporosis exercise using portable weights to more than 300 elders weekly. In addition to the exercise, the program’s wellness discussion groups help elders take control of their lives as they age. Wellness materials are developed each year in collaboration with the first-year medical students at Tufts University School of Medicine. Many elders have made significant gains in both physical activity and positive lifestyle changes, and have also experienced many benefits from weekly socialization with their peers. These programs were developed as a result of a lengthy Community Action Planning Process by the agency to determine client needs. These programs are part of the ABCD Elder Services Department. |
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