Healthy Changes

The Healthy Changes program was developed by the Providence Center on Aging and was implemented by Elders in Action. The program is meant for anyone over 55 who is concerned about managing their diabetes, anyone interested in improving their blood sugar level, and anyone who would like to improve their nutritional and exercise behaviors. The Healthy Changes program empowers participants to take control of their diabetes by identifying and achieving short- and long-term goals, and provides support through weekly peer led meetings. The program consists of twenty-six 90 minute sessions, where participants learn to: (1) set reasonable goals and solve problems related to diabetes self management; (2) increase knowledge about diet and exercise; and (3) learn about community resources and how to use them. Program elements include weekly classes and support meetings held at 8 community sites; community outreach and presentations provided by trained volunteer community educators, and one-on-one advocacy and problem-solving assistance to be provided by trained volunteers.

The goal of the Healthy Changes program is to increase the ability of program participants to improve their self-care on a day-to-day basis, including diet and physical activity aspects of their diabetes control regime.

The Healthy Changes curriculum is based on an evidence-based approach to diabetes prevention. The program was replicated for implementation in Portland, Oregon by Elders in Action.

Participant outcomes at four months showed improvements in physical activity, abilty to carry out diabetes regime, overall use of supportive resources, healthy eating habits, and general health. Survey results indicated that 76% of program participants felt the program helped them achieve their goals, 73% felt the program helped them communicate better with health care providers, 68% felt the program helped them use community resources, and 75% felt the program greatly helped them manage their diabetes.