© 2011. National Council on AgingTo improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

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To improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Reaching River Deep and Mountain High to recruit CDSMP Participants

November, 2011

© 2011. National Council on AgingTo improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Agenda“Reaching River Deep and Mountain High to Recruit CDSMP

Participants”

Linking programs, policies and fun to reach participants• Louanne Kane, Ocean County NJ Office of Senior Services, New

Jersey

Ambassador volunteer program and tools for recruitment and training

• Cora Plass, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control• Crystal Strong, Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, South Carolina

Teaming up with the state mental health association • Sherri King, Office of Services to the Aging, Michigan

Q&A – All

Take Control of Your Health

Community Services Inc. of Ocean County, New Jersey

We aim for the top of the mountainby first going into the depth of our river of being,

and bringing forth the richness of what lies within those waters. We then join with the community of seekers to

climb higher, through managing the obstacles of Chronic Disease in our path.

Before any accomplishment, comes a vision, and an Action Plan

Choose a Strong Guide for the Climb

Leaders who:

• Are open to learn and grow

• Are positive role models

• Practice learned techniques from the course

• Are good listeners, sensitive and caring

• Are able to engage others

Keep Current on Mountain Conditions

• Know your guide’s strengths and abilities

• Observations, casual meetings over coffee

• Phone calls of concern, notes of appreciation

• Birthday and celebration greetings

• Regular training sessions

• Newsletters

Pack Nutritious Snacksfor the Journey

• Healthy snacks provided at workshops

• Leaders can purchase and be reimbursed

• Coordinator can supply snacks if desired

• Guidelines for healthy snacks provided to Leaders

Share Your Climbing Experiences

• Promote your services

• Your best advertisement will always be the people who have climbed the mountain with you.

• Create brochures, pocket cards, stationary, materials for health fairs and exhibits and a power point presentation.

• Create a website with links to

other “health-related” services.

Anchor to a Solid Rock

Partner with:

• The Office of Senior Services• Community Service Organizations• County Health Departments• YMCA• Libraries• Colleges and Universities • Hospitals and Health Professionals

Enjoying the Climb

• Yearly reunion and recognition luncheons

• A session on humor at the training

• Laughter, hugs, and food at breaks

• Watching others grow and share accomplishments

• Making new friends

Utilizing the Skills of Your Guides

• A visiting nurse and a life coach refer their clients to CDSM workshops.

• A leader who is a dietician, wrote an article for our newsletter on healthy eating.

• A leader with a gift for writing, interviews other leaders, and writes a bio for the newsletter.

• A graphic artist designs displays.

Reaching the Top by Linking Efforts

• Encouraging participation in other HealthEASE programs

• Providing information on Medicare preventive benefits, SHIP and MIPPA.

• Promoting CDSM at flu shot locations

• Providing flyers at Medicare forums

Seeking a Higher Mountain

• Maintaining the enthusiasm

• Sustaining the program

• Reaching medical professionals

• Educating health professionals

• Obtaining permanent sites for

workshops

• Providing support for the leaders

• Following up on participants to track progress

Lessons learned From the Climb

• Interview potential leaders.

• Conduct workshops with at least 10 participants.

• Seek key people who will promote the program, and educate them about the program.

• Delegate work.

• Call participants before classes to assure attendance.

Yet Another Mountain

In climbing that mountain we have come upon obstacles, sometimes making false starts, sometimes choosing the wrong path to get to where we wanted to be, but always with our eye and our heart on the goal of the vision of empowering fellow climbers to better health.

At the top of the climb we discover another height, the question now is where do we set our aim and with whom?

Ambassador Program

Crystal StrongSC Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging

Cora PlassSC Department of Health and

Environmental Control

Overview - What Is It?

Purpose:– To recruit CDSMP graduates as

Ambassadors to provide community presentations and outreach.

Goals:- Generate greater awareness of CDSMP.- Recruit participants to fill workshops.

Why Use Ambassadors?

Research shows that word of mouth contacts (e.g. presentations) are effective in recruiting participants.Program Coordinators are often too busy to schedule and make community presentations.People are more likely to respond to others like them who have benefited from the program.

What is Needed To Make It Work?

A planned approach with structure and guidelines for training Ambassadors; planning activities; implementing the program; and evaluating the results.Technical assistance and support to the staff who are implementing the program at the local level.Committed staff willing to implement the program locally.Graduates who are enthusiastic, willing, and available to commit time to the project.

Lessons LearnedFinding the “right” Ambassadors can be a challenge. Be sure candidates understand the commitment and time involved up front.Training Leaders as Ambassadors may not be the best approach.Implementing the program requires considerable effort on staff initially but has the potential for pay off in the long run.Select your project areas carefully to assure that local partners “buy in” to the project.Develop a tool to track how participants hear about the program.Make site visits early on to monitor the process and provide feedback to partners.

Action Steps to StartDevelop and present a training module, job description, Ambassador plan, and evaluation tools for local partners.Select project areas carefully.Meet with leaders to identify candidates and develop a process to select Ambassadors.Train Ambassadors and help each one develop a plan for community outreach. Ask Ambassadors to submit reports monthly.Provide ongoing support to Ambassadors.

For More Information

Crystal Strong cstrong@aging.sc.gov

Cora Plassplasscf@dhec.sc.gov

Michigan: Positive Partnerships

Opening Racial, Ethnic, Cultural, Social and Economic Doors

Lessons Learned/Action StepsIt takes Partners, Perseverance, Patience, and Planning!

• Brainstorm with colleagues, partners and co-workers how the CDSMP could be beneficial with different groups.

• Choose a target audience based on discussions with partners/co-workers. Refer to the census, but don’t rely on it exclusively.

• Build on existing relationships within your organization.• You need a champion preferably from within the target group. At minimum, the

champion needs to be trusted and accepted by the group.• Do your homework! Research characteristics of the group you are recruiting, and

find:• Similarities in the mission/vision of CDSMP and the target group. Make these the

‘selling point’ for the programs.• Look for existing opportunities to integrate into. • Offer other services that you have that the group can use. Example: congregate

meal programs.• Periodically follow up with your contact person. • Encourage expansion.

Lessons Learned/Action StepsUse Data Wisely

• Do data analysis on the NCOA data collection from your CDSMP workshops to determine which groups you are serving.

• Look at the non-traditional census data as a starting point:– Community profiles. – Foreign born persons (by county or area)

• Access to care/medical information– Medically underserved areas– Disease-specific mortality/morbidity county/region data– Hospital admissions data– Medical insurance coverages– Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys

• Socio-economic data– Limited English proficiency– Grandparents raising grandchildren

Community Mental HealthRationale for focus:

Persons with serious mental health illness are dying 25 years younger than the general population, in part due to preventable chronic conditions.This led the Bureau of Community Mental Health to seek ways to address this issue.

Integration of CDSMP• State health department took lead in working with CMH.• They assisted CMH with training leaders and facilitating workshops within

the established CMH system.• Peer Support Specialists were trained as CDSMP leaders and conduct

workshops as part of their paid positions.• CDSMP integrated very well into the community system, as workshops

address key components of Personal Recovery Plans that each person must create.

• Growing number of persons in this group are older adults. Current percentage is 16%.

Asian/Hispanic AmericansRationale for focus:

Growing percentage of Asian and Hispanic Americans in Michigan. Many are older immigrants who need help to assimilate into the culture, which can include barriers such as language and access to care. Hispanic culture also favors the families taking care of the older Hispanics rather than putting them in a long term care setting. Interest from the communities in the program. Asian Americans have a strong organization in SE Michigan.

Integration of CDSMPAAAs that have Asian/Hispanic populations have worked to have culturally appropriate meal sites as well as home health care experiences. CDSMP was introduced as an AAA program.Asian American group had a grant to integrate the CDSMP into the Asian American Health Project, and they have continued to work with us after the grant ended. Hispanic groups have had alliances with local health departments to provide services and help reduce barriers to access to care. CDSMP was introduced as a potential ‘barrier-reducer’ for access to care.

Native AmericansRationale for focus:

Native Americans are at high risk for many chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Indian Health Service has lost some funding and federal services are being cut back.Michigan has 12 federally recognized tribes. There are also groups of non-reservation dwelling Native Americans located around the state, primarily in the Detroit area.

Integration of CDSMP• AAAs have been working with the tribes located in their areas in many

other programming areas.• OSA (SUA) meets with the Tribal Council periodically to work together to

avoid duplication of services for the older Native Americans.• Tribal governments are notified of leader trainings/master trainings and

are encouraged to attend.• Kate Lorig approved a cultural adaptation to CDSMP for Native

Americans. Examples: use of talking stick, symptom cycle created on a dream catcher.

African AmericansRationale for focus:

A study in 2003-2004 showed that the minority population in Southeast Michigan (Detroit area) was dying 20 years before their counterparts in other parts of the state, due to chronic illnesses. The study also showed that these minority populations were developing chronic disease at a much earlier age.

Integration of CDSMP• The Detroit Area Agency on Aging has helped many of the senior centers

in their service area change from Senior Centers to Wellness Centers. This has opened the door to offering the CDSMP workshops on a regular basis.

• The Detroit area YMCA’s have also been partnering with the AAA and other partners to offer CDSMP and other EBDP programs.

• AoA Title V Senior Employment program. Working with the Title V participants to take the workshop as part of their plan, as well as become leaders.

Current activity levels: 19.8% of all CDSMP participants are African American. 2010 Michigan census indicates 14.2% of Michigan population is African American.

Homeless PopulationRationale for focus:

Growing number of persons, including older adults, falling into this category. Many have multiple chronic conditions and limited or no access to health care.

Integration of CDSMP• Determine groups in the service area that are serving this population.• Work with them to determine if there is a location that the population uses

for other purposes that would feel comfortable to them.• Work to integrate CDSMP into existing services/programs.• Determine what role incentives can play in getting participants.• Train leaders that will be acceptable to the population. Start with

recognized persons, then train leaders from completers.

Current activity levels: undetermined. 1 AAA serving a 1 county area provides CDSMP for their homeless population.