Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: May 2004

BLUEPRINT PARTNERS PROGRESS
May 2004

In This Issue:

AOA You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging Campaign
DHHS News Release on 2005 White House Conference on Aging
May Older Americans Month Materials
Booklet on Staying Healthy at 50+
NCOA Physical Activity Impact Study Announced
Report on Transportation Choices For Older Adults
Mini-Grant Update: Fairfield University School of Nursing
Summer Events

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AOA You Can! Steps to Healthier Aging Campaign
This month, the Administration on Aging launched its national outreach campaign geared to promoting better nutrition and physical activity for seniors. The campaign includes three national partners, a web site, and the funding of 10 mini-grants to implement a nutrition and physical activity program for older adults at the local level.

DHHS News Release on 2005 White House Conference on Aging
An executive director and steering committee have been selected for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, which occurs only once a decade to make policy recommendations to the President and Congress.

May Older Americans Month Materials
A guidebook, poster, feature stories, fact sheets, PSAs, logos, and other materials are available for download at this site.

Booklet on Staying Healthy at 50+
www.ahrq.gov/ppip/50plus/
The “Pocket Guide to Staying Healthy at 50+” was released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as a resource for healthcare providers and their patients. The guide includes tips and recommendations on good health habits, screening tests, and immunizations. It also includes questions to ask healthcare providers and charts to track personal health information.

NCOA Physical Activity Impact Study Announced
Three physical activity programs were selected for a study to determine whether or not best practice physical activity programs provided by community-based organizations have a measurable impact on the health and well being of participants.

Report on Transportation Choices For Older Adults
The new report, “Aging Americans: Stranded Without Options,” presents findings based on the National Household Transportation Survey of 2001. One of the major findings is that more than one in five (21%) Americans age 65 and older do not drive. Some reasons include: Declining health, eyesight, physical or mental abilities; Concern over safety (self-regulation); No car or no access to a car; Personal preference.

Mini-Grant Update: Fairfield University School of Nursing
The Step Up to Health program accomplished the following objectives in late 2003:

  • The project was initially introduced to Sycamore Place, Laurelwood, and Washington Heights through a series of presentations and focus groups. Housing residents recommended the use of cardiovascular screenings to draw participants to the program. All residents who attended the introduction and completed surveys received a heart-shaped stress ball.
  • Six second-degree nursing students were recruited for the project and staff members were trained to provide various tests.
  • Program kick-off events at five housing sites included a cardiovascular screening, healthy snacks, and interactive demonstrations by exercise specialists on walking, aerobics, and yoga.
  • Participants at Sycamore Place have formed a walking group and a gardening program. They have set individual and group goals, and began meeting three times per week for the walking program.
  • More than 100 individuals completed the initial survey, ranging in age from 51 to 94 years. Of those who completed the survey, 90 percent were interested in some group physical activity. A total of 60 residents have agreed to participate in all phases of the Step Up to Health project.
  • The survey also showed that few, if any, residents engage in moderate physical activity. The most frequently cited reason for inactivity was chronic health problems.

Summer Events

51st Annual ACSM Meeting
June 2-5, 2004; Indianapolis, IN

3rd Annual Conference, International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
June 10-13, 2004; Washington, D.C.

N4A 29th Annual Conference
July 10-14, 2004; Atlanta, GA

Sixth World Congress on Aging and Physical Activity
Aug. 3-7, 2004; London, Ontario, Canada

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The Blueprint Partners Project is an initiative of the Active Aging Partnership. For more information, contact the Blueprint Partnership Office at the University of Illinois Department of Kinesiology.
Website: www.agingblueprint.org