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, active annually and another 1,200 receiving services  On average 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 ( ) 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 Disease Self-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- To verify agencies operating under this license contact Stanford at 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 Program LISTED 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 Program LISTED 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 refinement Interpretation Manuscript generation Design refinement Interpretation Manuscript generation Cost for sustainability Continuation funding Infrastructure refinement Cost for sustainability Continuation 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: 2008 Case Study Wellness Center Center in the Park Philadelphia, 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

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  Lynn Fields-Harris, MPA Executive Director  Renee Cunningham- Associate Director  Megan McCoy Director, Grant Research and Development  Delores Palmer, RN In Touch Health Promotion Coordinator  Marie-Monique Marthol Clark, BS In Touch Health Promotion Coordinator Like CIP on: