COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOR DIVERSE ELDERS: What We’ve Learned

Luis F. Riquelme, M.S.,CCC-SLP Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders Rebecca States, Ph.D. Dept. of Physical Therapy William B. Susman, Ph.D., P.T. Dept. of Physical Therapy Brooklyn Campus

Workshop Outline Overview of the HRSA Grant Outreach to Community Organizations Development of the Community Education Modules: Outline, Evaluation, Implementation Student Involvement Sample Activities for Elders in Modules Professional and Personal Benefits to You Questions and Answers

Developing a Community Education Program Grant funding can provide support, open new opportunities. Developing the individual workshops Community outreach Implementing the workshops

HRSA Grant Overview: Interdisciplinary, Community- Based, Health Education An Allied Health Project Grant Health Resources & Services Administration U. S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

HRSA Grant Overview: Fun Facts Three year grant: 07/01/2001 – 06/30/2004 From: Health Resources & Services Administration Total Budget: $292,438 Project Director: Rebecca A. States Project Co-Director: William M. Susman Awarded to: Long Island University/BC

HRSA Grant Overview: Three Objectives Community Education Modules: Presented at local Senior Centers, Presented in English and in Spanish. Multimedia Case Study Modules: New, web-based, case studies of elders for use in health care curricula at LIU and elsewhere. Dissemination of Grant Products: - Website for other Health Education Programs - Website for Elderly Health Information Consumers - Continuing Studies Course for Health Professionals

HRSA Grant Overview: 3 Health Care Topics Each objective cycles through 3 health care topics important to Healthy People Stress Reduction Physical Activity Dementia & Depression

HRSA Grant Overview: Timeline Activities on all three objectives happen concurrently. All grant members focus on one health care topic at a time. Focus shifts over the three year-period. Fall Dementia & Depression Spring Stress Reduction Fall Physical Activity

HRSA Grant Overview: Participation from … Social Work Respiratory Care Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Nursing Communication Sciences & Disorders (Speech-Language Pathology)

HRSA Grant Overview: Project-Wide Preparations Established Interdisciplinary Advisory Board from LIU-BC faculty. Held informational meeting on the health care needs of Latino elders in Brooklyn. Developed overall structure for workshops. Conducted outreach to community organizations.

Outreach to Community Organizations

Outreach: Go Through The Steps Start early Know what you want from your partner organization & what you will deliver Provide written outline for review Suggest calendar/schedule; be flexible Meet with potential partners in person Follow-up Get commitments in writing

Outreach: Umbrella Organizations New York City Department for the Aging, Bureau of Community Services RAICES – Spanish Speaking Elderly Council Brooklyn Interagency Council on the Aging Brooklyn Geriatrics Committee

Participating Senior Centers Eileen Dugan Senior Citizens Center (Pilot) Ft. Greene Senior Center Times Plaza Senior Center Wyckoff Gardens Senior Center Hope Gardens Senior Citizens Center

The Community Education Workshops

Workshops Outline 20-min. presentation by faculty member Question & Answer period Small-group activity led by students Student interviews with individual clients to evaluate session Total time: Approx. 1 hour

Developing the Modules: Content Researched the content and possible small- group activities. Developed learning objectives for each session. Created presentations & small-group activities for each session. Interdisciplinary focus within a multicultural context offered an exploration of learning in considering how to meet the objectives of each module.

Developing the Modules: Interdisciplinary Logistics Collaboration: weekly meetings Consultation Reference materials Module design/content Coordination: A/V, schedules, student participation, translations

Developing the Modules: Delivery Guidelines for student involvement that work across disciplines Evaluation Questionnaires that work for all health care topics: for clients, for community center administrators

Evaluating the Workshops: Questions for Clients Questionnaires completed by students with each client: Did you learn anything new about…(topic)? Will you use any of the information covered today? In the next week, will you discuss the issues raised with friends or family? What did you like best? Least?

Implementing the Workshops

Implementing the Workshops: Administrative Tasks Arrange/confirm logistics with Senior Center (schedule, refreshments, space) Arrange for Workshops to be videotaped Gather educational hand-outs Recruit and train students to participate Professionally translate presentation materials into Spanish

Implementing the Workshops: Student Involvement Each academic program involved creates their own means of incorporating this experience into their curricula. Pre and Post module questionnaires administered to students are used to evaluate changes in attitudes and knowledge of older adults Students are introduced as part of the Team conducting the Workshop

The Student’s Role Welcome clients, answer questions Help with A/V Consent Form, if needed Run post-presentation small-group activities with clients Administer post- workshop Evaluation Questionnaire to elderly clients Provide feedback to Faculty

Implementing the Workshops: Small-Group Activities - Example Use a set of cards with photos of older adults doing familiar activities as prompts to get clients to discuss: –Activities they currently do to stay healthy, –New activities they might try out to improve their health, and –Ways to make cumbersome activities more attractive and productive.

Some Client Comments… (after Dementia & Depression and Stress Reduction Workshops) “I liked it a lot. I learned a lot about health.” “I liked everything. It was ‘therapy’ for me.” “You gave us courage to talk about what we have.” “I appreciated the open environment created by the speaker.” “I learned that anyone can have this problem.”

Professional and Personal Benefits To You … Learn to communicate about wellness issues with older adults from diverse backgrounds Learn how to better organize and run Community Education Programs Get to know older urban adults as they engage in large and small-group settings Learn about the services and environment provided by Senior Centers Others…

Have fun with it!

Questions and Answers Riquelme, States, Susman, 2003 COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOR DIVERSE ELDERS: What We’ve Learned