Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: Spring 2003

Newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 3, Spring 2003

IN THIS ISSUE

Public Policy Roundtable Experts Set Blueprint Legislative Agenda
Blueprint Consensus Conference Summary Report to be Released
Blueprint Mini-Grant Update
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Will Fund Community Partnerships
NCOA Sponsors Competition to Find Best Physical Activity Programming
Fifty-Plus Fitness Association Created The Fitness Ambassador Start-Up Kit
Research in the News
New Resources from Blueprint Partners
National Health Observances for Spring 2003

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Public Policy Roundtable Experts Set Blueprint Legislative Agenda

Experts in physical activity and aging met with public policy specialists in February to identify unified strategies related to public policy and legislation and to develop a cohesive policy and legislation guide. They identified the following six legislative issues and three non-legislative issues that Blueprint organizations need to address to increase physical activity among the 50+ population.

Legislative Agenda:

Issue One: Provide a mechanism to identify and support exemplary physical activity programming in the community.

Issue Two: Strengthen the physical activity component in the Medicare Senior Risk Reduction Program.

Issue Three: Establish centers for excellence in physical activity and preventive health.

Issue Four: Support policy research in the area of physical activity and preventive health.

Issue Five: Develop a broad-based communications framework for disseminating messages on physical activity and health.

Non-Legislative Agenda:

Issue Six: Improve education about physical activity throughout the medical and health-related professions.

Issue Seven: Increase accountability of health care programs for behavioral counseling relative to physical activity and preventive health.

Issue Eight: Increase support for community coalitions that can advocate for physical activity at the community level.

A briefing book, “Physical Activity for the 50 Plus: Setting the Public Policy Agenda” will be disseminated to legislators through the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity.

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Blueprint Consensus Conference Summary Report to be Released

The 18 high-priority strategies identified during the October Blueprint Conference are highlighted in the new document, “Strategic Priorities for Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults Age 50 and Older: The National Blueprint Consensus Conference Summary Report.” Each Blueprint partner organization will receive 50 copies of the document in April. The publication will also be available on the website, www.agingblueprint.org.

The lead organizations identified for each strategy will begin to initiate the tactics within the next 12 to 24 months. If your organization is involved in any initiatives that might help to advance the strategies, please contact an individual involved in the Blueprint from the lead organization, or contact the National Blueprint office at (217) 244-7122; blueprint@kines.uiuc.edu.

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Blueprint Mini-Grant Update

The National Blueprint Office is reviewing applications to fund grants of up to $25,000 for 19 organizations and/or coalitions in support of innovative local community projects designed to advance the goals of the Blueprint. More than 460 applications were received from across the U.S. Information about the awarded programs will be available on the Blueprint website.

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W.K. Kellogg Foundation Will Fund Community Partnerships

The Pathways to Collaboration workgroup will give up to 12 community partnerships from across the U.S. an opportunity to explore exactly what makes a collaborative problem-solving process successful. Partnerships that have a record of success in using collaboration to address problems that are important to people in their community are invited to submit Letters of Intent. Letters are due on May 9, 2003.

Successful applicants will receive $50,000 per year for three years to enable the entire partnership to participate in the workgroup experience. Working with other partnerships and a group of people with valuable technical skills, partners will: (1) understand and document what they are doing well and learn how to teach those skills to others; (2) go beyond their current achievements by learning from partnerships whose strengths are complementary to their own; and (3) create new knowledge and tools that will help other partnerships become more effective in engaging different kinds of people and organizations in collaborative problem solving.

The workgroup is organized by the Center for the Advancement of Collaborative Strategies in Health at the New York Academy of Medicine.

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NCOA Sponsors Competition to Find Best Physical Activity Programming

The National Council on the Aging has launched a new competition to award $1,000 to 10 community-based organizations that achieve excellence in physical activity programming targeted at improving the health and well being of older Americans.

NCOA also announced the start of a new three-year initiative, supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help community service organizations offer high quality, accessible physical activity programming for older adults. A highlight of the initiative will be a searchable database of local programs run by senior centers, community centers, YMCAs, and other organizations. Participants in the winning programs will be studied to determine the health benefits of activities offered by these programs.

Programs applying for the award should serve over 300 participants age 60 and over. Programming must offer multiple types of fitness activities, such as walking, swimming and weight training, and be available on a regular basis.

The deadline to apply is April 18, 2003.

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Fifty-Plus Fitness Association Created The Fitness Ambassador Start-Up Kit

In efforts to reach older adults at the community level, the Fifty-Plus Fitness Association has developed the Fitness Ambassador Program across the U.S. Fitness Ambassadors organize activities and disseminate information designed to encourage midlife and older adults to enhance their health and quality of life through regular physical activity.

Ambassadors may be members of local AARP or Fifty-Plus Fitness chapters, or could be employees of an Area Agency on Aging, county health department, senior center, assisted living facility, hospital, fitness club, or business that would like to integrate a physical activity program for seniors into their scope of services without having to make a large investment of time or money.

The “Fitness Ambassador Start-Up Kit” provides the tools required to replicate an existing community-based model while providing flexibility so that programs can be optimized to meet the needs and culture of each individual community. Ambassadors are encouraged to start with “Beginners Walks” that offer even the most unfit individuals an opportunity to start exercising in a non-threatening environment.

Having secured a grant to support the program, Fifty-Plus is able to offer the Start-Up Kit at no charge to participants. For a limited number of communities, Fifty-Plus will also provide stipends that will cover most of the expenses for their local programs.

For more information about the Ambassador program, visit www.50plus.org or call (650) 323-6160.

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Research in the News

A new study published in the February issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, is the first to show anatomical differences in the frontal, temporal and parietal cortexes of the brain between physically fit and sedentary midlife and older adults. University of Illinois Professor Arthur Kramer found that fitness slows the natural decline in brain density in the white and gray areas of the brain as people age. In earlier studies, Kramer and colleagues found that previously sedentary people over age 60 who walked rapidly for 45 minutes three days a week can significantly improve mental-processing abilities that decline with age.

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New Resources from Blueprint Partners

A new Department of Health and Human Services campaign, “Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes” provides the tools that people at risk for diabetes can use to make necessary lifestyle changes, including modest weight loss and physical activity. The campaign is led by a joint program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Information and materials are available at http://ndep.nih.gov/.

A free 50-page booklet on what scientists are learning about aging is now available from the National Institute on Aging. “Aging Under the Microscope: A Biological Quest,” includes the latest findings from top biology of aging researchers. The booklet describes how new insights may help move us closer to the ultimate goal of promoting health and independence throughout the lifespan. It is intended for journalists, educators, students, policymakers, and the general public. For more information or to obtain the booklet, contact the NIA Information Center, 800-222-2225, or e-mail, niaic@jbs1.com.

The 2003 edition of the American Geriatrics Society publication, “Geriatrics At Your Fingertips” is now available online. This clinical guide to evaluating and managing the diseases and disorders that most commonly affect older persons contains the most current information on caring for older adults.

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National Health Observances for Spring and Summer 2003

April 1-30
Cancer Control Month
American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org

April 1-30
National Occupational Therapy Month
The American Occupational Therapy Association
www.aota.org

April 7-13
National Public Health Week
American Public Health Association
www.apha.org

April 20-26
National Minority Cancer Awareness Week
National Cancer Institute
www.cancer.gov

May 1-31
National Arthritis Month
National Arthritis Foundation
www.arthritis.org

May 1-31
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Health Information Center
www.nhlbi.nih.gov

May 1-31
National Stroke Awareness Month
National Stroke Association
www.stroke.org

May 1-31
National Osteoporosis Prevention Month
National Osteoporosis Foundation
www.nof.org

May 1-31
Older Americans Month
Administration on Aging
www.aoa.gov

May 1
National Employee Health and Fitness Day
National Association for Health and Fitness
www.physicalfitness.org/nehf.html

May 11-17
National Women’s Health Week
Office on Women’s Health
www.4woman.gov

May 11-17
National Running and Fitness Week
American Running Association, American Medical Athletic Association
www.americanrunning.org

May 28
National Senior Health and Fitness Day
Mature Market Resource Center
www.fitnessday.com

June 9-15
Men’s Health Week
National Men’s Health Network
www.menshealthweek.org

Conferences and events related to physical activity and aging are listed on the website, www.agingblueprint.org.

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The Blueprint Partners Project is an initiative of the Active Aging Partnership. For more information, contact the Blueprint Office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.