Helping Seniors--HSE
Utilizing incremental confidence building activities to increase engagement in novel activities to improve health among senior-citizens.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
18 Timon Hall
Project City
Niagara Falls
Project Province/State
New York
Project Postal/Zip Code
14109
Project Country
United States
Your idea
Year organization founded:
2006
Year initiative began:
2008
Service/activity focus:
Other
If Service/activity focus is "other" please define in 1-2 words below:
Education & Research
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Project URL
Name Your Project
Helping Seniors--HSE
Describe Your Idea
Utilizing incremental confidence building activities to increase engagement in novel activities to improve health among senior-citizens.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
Utilizing incremental confidence building activities to increase engagement in novel activities to improve health among senior-citizens.
Describe what makes your idea unique--different from all others in the field.
How do you move seniors out of a rut? Whereas many health-promotion programs push all trainees towards a pre-defined goal, e.g., exercise 3-times per week for 30 minutes each time, this project asks trainees to spend just 5minutes each week engaging in one new health-improvement activity of their choice. Eliminating input, and thus control, from the trainee reduces compliance; to overcome this obstacle, we present the right framework for success, but let the trainee ultimately choose their health-promotion activity. This “nudge” is taken from the science literature that shows regular engagement in novel activities has enormous health benefits, including reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s. The hurdle, however, is how best to move seniors out of their ruts. Based on our previous research in memory training, which utilized self-efficacy and goal-setting theories to guide memory improvement, we believe encouraging incremental changes is the best approach.
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how did you create them?
Creating a network of partnerships was paramount to this project’s success. Our pilot grant was written and then administered with a local professor of political science. From the beginning the project had an interdisciplinary team and thus a unique perspective on a growing problem: adding quality of life to the golden years. To minimize costs associated with recruitment we partnered with local senior centers, assisted-living facilities and private health-related agencies, e.g., physical therapy centers. Utilizing intact agencies reduced costly recruitment efforts and permitted this project to reach a diverse senior population that included 43% minority representation and 70% of all participants had only a highschool education or less. Since the project’s inception, we have partnered with a chemistry professor and submitted an Alzhemier’s biomarker grant utilizing the HSE as pilot data. Integral to the future success of the HSE program is a continued interdisciplinary approach.
In which sector do these partners work? (Check all that apply)
Citizen sector (non profits, NGOs) , Private sector , Academic sector (universities).
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact.
To date, we have reached 194 seniors & have demonstrated significant improvements in participant’s belief that they control their health & well-being.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation.
Because the project is comprised of both educational & research components, we can accurately assess the impacts. Health Locus of Control and a Political Efficacy measure were assessed at baseline, immediate post-test and 1month post-test and compared to a wait-list no contact control condition to determine effects resulting from the classes. In addition, weekly quizzes covering class content and compliance with training regimens and weekly health improvement goal sheets were collected. Preliminary analysis show, trainees have largely been compliant and retained the class content. The results of the civic engagement portion of the classes are equally as promising. 34% reported contacting an elected official about their most important community concern (eg, crime, social security). To date, many of the seniors have continued their pursuit of novel activities, supporting our contention that when trainees choose their health-promotion activity, their compliance, and thus health, increases
Is there a policy intervention element to your innovation?
One objective of this innovation is increasing civic engagement by encouraging seniors to contact an elected official about a concern facing their community. Much research connects the health of a community to the health of its citizens, e.g., proximity to green space, walkable sidewalks, etc. These concerns are critically important here in post-industrial Western New York where Buffalo was recently ranked the 2nd poorest city in the U.S.
How many people does your innovation serve or plan to serve? Exactly who will benefit from your innovation?
To date, 194 seniors in the Western New York area have participated in our HSE program. Quality adjusted life years resulting from continued participation in novel activities, the main object of these classes, could have far-reaching effects, including the reduction of costly health-care visits and general improved health and wellbeing leading to a compression of morbidity and thus the elimination of unnecessary health services that are a direct result of poor lifestyle choices.
What is the key decision that you are trying to influence through your innovation/design?
Ultimately, the HSE program suggests that the key to maintaining and improving quality of life as we age is to continually look for new opportunities and to integrate those changes into daily life. We would ask the participants, “Who here today cannot dedicate 5 minutes this week for your health?” Inevitably no one raises their hand, but more importantly setting these realistic goals ensures meeting that goal and motivates, rather than inhibits, future healthy action.
What have you learned about how people respond to your innovation/design?
The response has been overwhelming. Subjectively trainees report feeling at ease and excited to attend the next session, and during class many trainees report success with their weekly health improvement goal. Objectively trainees improved their Internal Control over their health substantially during the class—retained through the 1 month post-test. Additionally, the belief that their health is governed by Chance Happenings decreased significantly and is maintained through the 2nd post-test.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
The project was initially funded through a research grant from Niagara University to Dr. Jamie Pimlott, Department of Political Science and Dana K. Bagwell, owner of the Memory Health and Fitness Institute. Although working off an initial budget of less than $5,000, the project spanned to over 3 counties. Pilot data from this project have already been submitted for 2 separate grants, and we expect revenue from a downloadable online workbook and possibly charging a small fee for future classes, could keep this health-intervention going indefinitely. We are certainly willing to accept donations as well. :)
Financing source
Annual budget
The Memory Health & Fitness Institute is a small startup organization that exists solely, at this point, through grant-funded projects and charging speaker fees.
Annual revenue generated
Since our humble beginnings in 2006, we have operated with a budget under $10,000/year. Our tremendous success, with this project, is a testament to our commitment to senior health education.
Number of staff (full-time, part-time, volunteers)
The staff number is project and funding-based.
What are the main financial barriers, and how do you plan to address them?
Obviously achieving financial stability through grant-writing, developing partnerships with local & national senior-oriented agencies is paramount, eg, retirement villages, continuing education programs, senior centers, insurance providers. In addition, income from the sale of our educational materials and charging a small fee for seminar talks supplements our budget. Long-term plans include forming a non-profit in order to collect tax-deductible donations and competing for grants and contracts.
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow and scale the initiative?
Future plans include developing a train-the-trainer model whereby we train community volunteers to conduct the HSE program in their community. Outcomes assessments would then be conducted on this trainer model and the data used for grant and contract funding. Demonstrating these health changes reduce insurance and Medicare costs would likely attract the interest of insurance companies and government offices and with that additional funding.
The Story
What was the motivation or defining moment that led to the creation of this innovation? Tell the story.
I was mentored by a well-known memory-researcher, Dr. Robin West, and took her approach to senior-oriented training to heart. Although the HSE program did not focus on memory, per se, the driving theory of self-efficacy and goal setting, learned through my extensive work with Dr. West, and its importance to encouraging and sustaining health change has become the foundation of my research and educational programs. My first behavioral change teaching experience, as a memory-training instructor under Dr. West, showed me that, under the right conditions, anyone could improve their memory. Early in this initial training experience, I developed a unique, heretofore unexamined, measure of trainee compliance (see Bagwell & West, 2008). I credit Dr. West for both creating the right environment for seniors to excel and the right environment for her students to, not only become proficient researchers and educators, but also for allowing them to follow “hunches.” It was exactly this creative freedom that drove the creation and the subsequent success of this HSE program.
Please name and provide a personal bio of the social innovator behind this initiative.
Dana K. Bagwell has conducted research in the field of cognitive psychology and aging, with particular emphasis on behavioral community interventions, for over a decade. This experience has resulted in authorship of numerous scientific manuscripts, conference presentations and lay articles. Although heavily steeped in academic research, Bagwell’s most important and most fulfilling task is explaining scientific findings to lay audiences through teaching and public presentations.
At what stage is this initiative?
Implementation and impact .
What resources would you need to take your initiative to the next stage?
Even a modest grant or contract would enable our project to be web-based--including an interactive web site & a downloadable self-help version. Funding beyond that would enable us to conduct the train-the-trainer module whereby we could deploy a small cadre of trained community educators. This approach not only saves us time & resources but permits acceptance into more diverse areas as research has shown that matching race/ethnicity of the trainer to the population improves community acceptance.
How did you hear about this contest and what is your main incentive to participate? (Confidential)
Upon reading a RWJF email about this contest and the driving force of “Nudge” book, I was struck at how similar my approach to health education is to that of Thaler and Sunstein, even though, at that point, I had not heard of the book. Ultimately entering this contest is an avenue to spread the word about our important program and hopefully gain momentum and additional funding to continue our important project, Helping Seniors to Engage.
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 | 202 weeks ago Dana Bagwell updated this Competition Entry. |
| 211 weeks ago Jamie Pimlott said: Keep up the good work! Our older adults are a precious resource. about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 220 weeks ago Dana Bagwell said: Hi Chloe and to the greater ChangeMakers community! First of all, thank you for your supportive comments and questions; after so much ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 220 weeks ago Chloe de Roos Feinberg said: Hi Dana- Wow, it is so great to see such an amazing and supportive response to your entry! The benefits to the seniors you are ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 221 weeks ago Dave Slanders said: I wish my grandparents were around to see your work! about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 221 weeks ago Chris Stevens said: I applaud your work and wish you the best of luck. about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 221 weeks ago Melinda Seifert said: I agree with your approach of making incremental changes to improve health. In our LoneStart Wellness initiative, we find you can't ask ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 222 weeks ago maryellen Ponder said: The most devastating aspects of aging are the loss of control over your life choices and the loss of dignity. This unique ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 222 weeks ago Jason FLeming said: What a great idea, I hope you are able to see your efforts produce real fruits. about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 222 weeks ago peabu danielstein said: Getting seniors engaged with life is important and beneficial for not only senior citizens themselves, but their families and the ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
