Introduction

1. Interdisciplinary, Community-Based, Health Educationfor Diverse Elders. Allied Health Project Grant, Health Resources & Services Administration, HHS. Rebecca A. States, PhD & William M. Susman, PT, PhDDivision of Physical Therapy

2. Introduction • Grant Title: Interdisciplinary Community-Based Health Education for Elders from Diverse Backgrounds. • The Health Resources & Services Administration recently awarded Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus (LIU-BC) a three-year Allied Health Project grant for $292,438 (#1D37 HP00838-01). • Project Director: Rebecca States, PhD Project Co-Director: William Susman, PT, PhD • An Interdisciplinary Advisory Board directs the grant activities with members from: • Communication Sciences and Disorders • Nursing • Occupational Therapy • Physical Therapy • Respiratory Care • Social Work • Three Health Topics • Three health topics reflecting the agenda of Healthy People 2010 will be addressed sequentially. • Dementia and Depression (Fall 2002) • Stress Reduction (Spring 2003) • Physical Activity (Fall 2004) • Several Objectives Will AddressEach Health Topic • Community Education Modules(CEMs): Designed for community-dwelling, well-elderly, they will be presented in English & Spanish at Senior Centers in Brooklyn. • Multimedia Case StudiesModules (MCSMs): One client will be followed over time for a given health topic. The case materials will be incorporated into an interdisciplinary, web-based, computer-conferencing module for use by students in health care and related disciplines at LIU-BC. • Web Site: Will provide resources for other health care education programs by disseminating the products from the CEMs and MCSMs. • New Continuing Studies Course: Designed for health care professionals to learn interdisciplinary techniques related to caring for the elderly. • Community Service Organizations Liaisons have been established with local community service organizations. The Senior Centers will host the community education programs and will help identify clients for the case studies. • New York City Department for the Aging, Bureau of Community Services • Brooklyn Interagency Council of the Aging • Spanish Speaking Elderly Council - RAICES • Eileen Dugan Senior Citizens Center • Ft. Greene Senior Citizens Center • Hope Gardens Senior Center • Times Plaza Senior Center • Wyckoff Gardens Senior Center

3. Workshop Title (Location, Language) # Attending # Eval's Average Age, Range Did you learn anything about today's topic? Will you use the information covered today? In the next week, will you discuss the issues raised with friends or family? Understanding Dementia (A, English) 48 17 78 68 - 90 Yes = 11 No = 1 Maybe = 1 Yes = 15 No = 0 Maybe = 0 Yes = 15 No = 0 Maybe = 1 Living with Dementia (A, English) 22 15 75 58-93 Yes = 9 No = 5 Maybe = 2 Yes = 9 No = 0 Maybe = 3 Yes = 10 No = 0 Maybe = 3 Understanding Depression (A, English) 30 14 70 21-79 Yes = 7 No = 0 Maybe = 2 Yes = 7 No = 1 Maybe = 1 Yes = 6 No = 0 Maybe = 2 Strategies for Change(A, English) 30 17 78 68-90 Yes = 8 No = 3 Maybe = 4 Yes = 10 No = 0 Maybe = 7 Yes = 10 No = 1 Maybe = 6 Understanding Dementia (B, Spanish) 22 17 75 59-92 Yes = 14 No = 0 Maybe = 2 Yes = 15 No = 0 Maybe = 1 Yes = 14 No = 3 Maybe = 0 Total 152 80 75.4 21-92 Yes = 49 No = 9 Maybe = 11 Yes = 56 No = 1 Maybe = 12 Yes = 55 No = 4 Maybe = 12 Fall 2002: Dementia & Depression • Accomplishments as of Fall 2002 • Client was identified and first interview was conducted for case study (MCSM). • A four-session CEM was completed at one senior center in July 2002. • Four more CEMs are in progress or scheduled at other senior centers. • The table below shows some results of the first CEM completed in English and of an initial session in Spanish at a second senior center. • Planning Steps Completed in Spring 2002 • Researched the content and available resources. • Generated presentations and interactive activities for 4 workshops. • Translated presentations, activities, and video release forms into Spanish. • Acquired health education pamphlets from established agencies. • Outlined learning objectives and guiding questions for the Multimedia Case Studies. • Created a mechanism for students from all participating disciplines to attend and assist with the CEM’s. Some Client Comments “I liked it a lot. Learned a lot about health.” “I liked everything. It was 'therapy' for me.” “You gave us more courage to talk about what you got.” “The fact that anyone can have this problem, regardless of age.”

4. Student Participation in CEMs • Web Site Development and Web Integration of Grant Products • Researched other interdisciplinary health care web sites, those that offer health care education case studies, and those that provide education on the health topics of interest to consumers. • Researched and purchased technology to provide streaming video for the web site. • Developed an overall structure, and style guidelines, for the web site. • Generated initial list of web resources for use on the site. • Developed structure for the web page related to the CEMs. This will include: • Power Point presentations; outlines for client activities; evaluation forms for clients, students and community center administrators. • Video elements to show physical and social environment and to show techniques that assist in conveying the information to clients. • Student Participation - Outline As part of their community service, fieldwork, or clinical experience, students can participate in the following activities: • A campus-based orientation meeting prior to the CEM. • Participation in 4 sessions at 1 Senior Center where students will help deliver and evaluate the educational experience. • A post-CEM meeting for students to consider the effectiveness of this particular community education experience and the interdisciplinary teamwork. • Student Participation - Results • To date, 14 students have participated. We expect 25-30 students this Fall. • Initial feedback was very positive. All 6 of the first group of students responded “Yes” to the questions: • Were the sessions beneficial to the clients you worked with? • Were the sessions geared to the appropriate level of background knowledge, educational level and cultural background of your clients? • Would you recommend other students get involved/volunteer for the Program? • Student comments included : • “I think it is excellent experience dealing with elderly as well as learning a lot of useful information.” •   “It was a good experience working on collaboration, informing a significant part of our future population of clients. It was a great way to give back to the community.” • Future Activities • Currently we are planning and developing the CEMs and MCSMs on the topic of Stress Reduction. These will be completed in Spring 2003. • CEMs and MCSMs on the topic of Physical Activity will be developed in Spring 2003 and presented in Fall 2003. • Work on the web site and Continuing Studies Course will continue as planned.