Hi AgeDoc bloggers, below is an article by my friend, Melanie Mitros, an aging and balance expert who recently left the AZ Living Well Institute for her "dream job" at St. Luke's Health Initiatives. Dr. Mitros has earned the reputation as one of the leading aging experts in the U.S. I hope you like her common-sense approach to aging. Remember, there is no "magic pill" or formula for aging. Most of it is common sense and adopting the credo, "Everything in moderation." Thanks! Later. AgeDoc
How do we age successfully?
August
20th, 2013
Guest Post Written by Melanie Mitros, PhD, Director of the
Arizona Living Well Institute:
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Make regular deposits in
your health account while minimizing the withdrawals! Invest in your health by exercising regularly, eating a
nutritious diet, managing stress and chronic conditions, and engaging with
family and community as well as volunteering.
As the vision of healthy aging in AZ began to emerge with the
first evidence-based programs grant to the State in 2007, many partnerships
have developed to make this vision a reality. One such partnership between ADHS/BTCD, DES-DAAS,
St. Luke’s Health Initiatives,
and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust,
resulted in the launch of the Arizona Living Well Institute
(AZLWI) in April 2010.
The Arizona Living Well Institute is a public-private
partnership encompassing all sectors of the healthcare community including area
agencies on aging, local health departments, veterans’ services, hospitals and
providers, community and faith-based organizations, insurance plans, and
community health centers. The mission of AZLWI is to advance evidence-based
programs for Arizona communities through structured communication, multi-level
coordination and systematic coaching. Supporting the dissemination of
self-management programs throughout Arizona occurs by providing quality
assurance, technical assistance, training and mentoring to individuals and
organizations who are interested in evidence-based programs like Healthy
Living. As part of the health education and wellness programs at Empowerment Systems, Inc., AZLWI
is committed to developing partnerships with like-minded organizations to
contribute to the overall wellbeing of individuals, families and communities
across Arizona.
Healthy Living is a
6-week chronic disease self-management program (CDSMP) developed by Dr.
Kate Lorig and colleagues at Stanford University. With over 20
years of research including multiple controlled trials and a
recent National Study, the benefits of
Healthy Living are well established. Participants report increased
physical activity, improved general health, better psychological well-being,
increased energy/reduced fatigue, decreased ER visits and days in the hospital,
and enhanced partnerships with their health care team. The Healthy Living
workshops are available in-person, online and in Spanish. These programs
include: Tomando Control de su Salud (Spanish CDSMP), Healthy
Living with Arthritis, Healthy Living with Diabetes, Programa
de Manejo Personal de la Diabetes (Spanish Diabetes), and Better
Choices, Better Health® (online CDSMP) which are all evidence-based
self-management programs developed by Stanford University.
Since 2010, AZLWI and its partners have shared
workshops to 3,189 participants in all 15 AZ counties, including work with 6
tribes. In 2011, our services expanded to include behavioral health support
where 40 workshops have been hosted with 371 participants and a 76% completion
rate. Behavioral health participants are younger and report higher rates
of depression than the general population; however, their outcomes are just as
favorable. And based on preliminary data from the Northern Arizona Regional
Behavioral Health Authority, their results may be more favorable
than the studies published at the national level. Our behavioral health
providers are in a unique position in AZ where Healthy Living workshops are a
reimbursable service.
We can make a difference in the lives of those living with an
on-going health condition by creating an inclusive, far reaching mission for
healthy aging for all ages in all communities.
It’s never too late to start & it’s always too early to
quit!
