Are Senior Centers Becoming Wellness Centers?Philadelphia Corporation for Aging Regional Conference

September 29, 2014

Objectives: Describe Center in the Park CIP’s Experience with Building Capacity to

Deliver Evidence Based Programs How-to’s, Benefits and Challenges of

Academic-Community Based Partnerships Show how successful collaborations and

implementation lead to recognition and better inform delivery of senior center health and wellness programs

Center in the Park promotes positive aging and fosters community connections for older adults, whose voices are critical instruments in shaping its activities and direction.

Center in the Park is a nationally accredited senior community center, founded in 1968, focusing primarily on the needs of older adults.

CIP provides programs and services in four strategic focus areas, including health promotion and evidence-based programs.

CIP’s membership includes nearly 6,000 older adults from NW and all other neighborhoods in Philadelphia, with @2200 active annually and another 1,200 receiving services

On average -180-200 participate daily

A center for positive aging

CIP’s Experience in Delivery of Evidence Based Programs Began with Harvest Health, CDSMP . . . • Originally a collaborative research project conducted through a multi-year

grant (2003-2008) in partnership with Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health (CARAH), Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) and Albert Einstein Healthcare.

• During the study, CIP recruited 519 participants for Harvest Health who were on average 73 years old, female, unmarried, with an average of three reported health conditions. Participation in Harvest Health demonstrated how being engaged in a senior center program can positively impact quality of life and decrease health distress (Gitlin, et al., 2007).

• CIP is licensed by Stanford University to deliver the program and continues to offer the Harvest Health CDSMP throughout the community and to train lay leaders.

Empowers participants to take an active role in maintaining their health care

Participants learn to manage the symptoms from their chronic conditions

Participants establish their own goals

Weekly action plan

Comprehensive curriculum

Harvest Health/The Chronic Disease

Self-Management Program

Harvest Health Chronic DiseaseSelf-Management Program

•2004 – 2008: Over 500 participants learned to better cope with chronic conditions; pilot research – cultural adaptations for African American older adults

• Ongoing delivery to hundreds of older adults at CIP and in the community

• 4 volunteer Lay Leaders currently active - 12 non-staff trained

• On staff 1T–Trainer, 3 Master Trainers, and 3 Lay Leaders

• Training and monitoring contracts in Bucks County and the State of Delaware, Division of Diabetes Prevention and Control

•Multi-Site Pennsylvania Department of Aging

Contact: Lois Shelton- lshelton@pa.gov

To verify agencies operating under this license contact Stanford at 650.723-7935

•Erie LifeWorks Erie •Johnstown Conemaugh

Memorial Medical Center

•Langhorne St. Mary Medical Center

•Philadelphia Center in the Park

•Pittsburgh Vintage, Inc

also offers courses in Chinese

Pennsylvania Organizations Licensed to Offer the Chronic Disease Self-Management ProgramLISTED BY CITY

Diabetes Self-Management Program

Participants engage in a six-week course aimed at creating and implementing self-directed health action plans

Learn how to manage diabetes in a balanced way

Understand basics about blood glucose monitoring, and how diet, exercise, medication, and stress affect blood glucose levels.

Learn ways of communicating with their health care team to provide and understand vital information, make treatment decisions and achieve better health outcomes; as well as managing symptoms and sick days.

3 CIP DSMP Master Trainers – 1 Volunteer Lay Leader

•Langhorne St. Mary Medical Center

•Philadelphia Center in the Park

•Pittsburgh Vintage, Inc

Pennsylvania Organizations Licensed to Offer the Diabetes Self-Management ProgramLISTED BY CITY

Research . . . Health Promotion & Evidence-Based Programs

Harvest Health: Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

Diabetes Self-Management Program

In Touch: Mind, Body & Spirit – Healthy Aging Study

Healthy Steps for Older Adults – Regional Pilot

Beat the Blues – Depression Screening and Intervention

Hold That Thought – Mild Cognitive Impairment Study

Second Time Around – Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Pneumonia Prevention Project – Jefferson School of Pharmacy

NCOA Aging Mastery Program – Pilot and Statewide Dissemination

Entering into the Collaborative Process

Each site must ask: Will my site benefit by participating in this

collaboration? Can my site satisfy the requirements for carrying

out the joint project (e.g., do we have the time, resources, staff, knowledge, expertise)?

Are benefits offered by the collaboration/project worth the effort/outlay of resources? (e.g., benefit/time/risk ratio)

Academic Setting-Literature review/nature of the evidence-Research evidence to support targeted problem-Identification of potential evidence-based program

(Step 1)

Community Setting-Identification of target population-Identification of context-specific

problem and service needs-Identification of resource needs

(Step 1) Academic-Community Integration

- How to use the evidence-Assessment of fit between the

evidence and target setting and population

- Resource need identification(Step 2)- Identification of immutable

intervention components-Potential research designs/

-Strategy for treatment fidelity Assessments

(Step 3)

-Name and frame program to fit target population-Recruitment/ marketing plan for program-Resource and staff identification

(Step 3)Pre-testing Application of Evidence

-Key informant interviews or focus groups to test program elements;

-Staff training/ Program Refinements

(Step 4)

Implementation of Evidence

-On-going formative and summative evaluations-Treatment fidelity monitoring

-Interpretations

(Step 5)

Design refinementInterpretation

Manuscript generation

Design refinementInterpretation

Manuscript generation

Cost for sustainabilityContinuation funding

Infrastructure refinement

Cost for sustainabilityContinuation funding

Infrastructure refinement

Challenges of a Partnership Having appropriate staff who buy-in to the

partnership and can work collaboratively Time conflicts Management of different funding sources

and shifting roles Keeping the commitment alive and on-

going Assuring on-going mutual respect and

trust

Academic/Community-Based Partnerships:How Collaboration Benefits Academic Institutions, Senior Centers and Elders

Integrated as a member of the team to help inform the research process

Able to give back to future generations (a key value of target population) in a significant way

Benefits derived from participation in evidence-based programs

Help shape systematically the programming offered at the community site

Help shape systematically the program of research pursued by the academic site

Help shape training of future health professionals

Added Value of the Partnership

Access to new funding streams Avenue for professional development of

participants from each site Important role of the collaborative is

mentorship and personal/professional growth of key staff

Community partner gains access to intellectual resources it may not have had previously

Academic partner gains access to research participants, helping to close the gap between research and practice

Recognition . . .

NISC . . . New Models Report: 2008Case Study Wellness CenterCenter in the ParkPhiladelphia, PA

Evidence-based health promotion programs: In Touch, Beat the Blues, Harvest Health, Healthy Steps

Partners with Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health

Working on sustainability business plan for Harvest Health, a chronic disease self-management program

www.centerinthepark.org

Successful Community-Academic Partnerships

and Excellence in Aging Services 2014 Partnered with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to train and

mentor staff of seven senior centers to deliver the Aging Mastery Program (AMP) throughout the state of Pennsylvania

2013 Selection by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) as one of five sites nationally to pilot the Aging Mastery Program (AMP)

2010 National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) Research award in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for Applied Research in Aging and Health (CARAH) for the Harvest Health Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

2009 NOMA Award from the American Society on Aging for Excellence in Multi-cultural Aging for CIP’s collaborative work with CARAH on the In Touch: Mind, Body Spirit program

2009 Selection by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AOA) as one of 14 sites nationally to pilot a Diabetes Self Management Training (DSMT) Initiative

2008 Recognition by the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) as a New Model : Case Study of Wellness Center.

Center in the Park 215-848-7722

www.centerinthepark.org

Lynn Fields-Harris, MPA Executive Director

Renee Cunningham-Associate Director

Megan McCoyDirector, Grant Research and Development

Delores Palmer, RN In Touch Health Promotion Coordinator

Marie-Monique Marthol Clark, BS In Touch Health Promotion Coordinator

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