Effectiveness of Health and Wellness Initiatives for Seniors

Abstract

Given the increasing prevalence of obesity and lifestyle-related chronic diseases in the United States and abroad, senior wellness initiatives have emerged as a means to stem the troubling trends that threaten the well-being and the economy of many nations. Seniors are an important demographic for such programs because this age group is growing, both as a proportion of the overall population and as a contributor to health care cost escalation. The goal of senior wellness programs is to improve the overall health of seniors through a variety of approaches, including increased physical activity, better nutrition, smoking cessation, and support of other healthy behaviors. Outcome metrics of particular interest are the effects of participation in these programs on health care utilization and expenditures. This review describes several studies that demonstrate reduced inpatient admissions and health care costs, as well as improved health-related quality of life as a direct result of participation in large-scale senior wellness programs. Programs that effectively engage seniors in, and change behavior as a direct result of, participation provide strong evidence that health improvements and decreased health care expenditures can be achieved. However, solutions to the challenges of broader enrollment and sustained participation in these programs would increase the impact of their outcomes and health-related benefits.

Acompanhamento do envelhecimento humano em centro de convivência

“…Utilizam-se instrumentos como medida da qualidade de vida, autorrelato em grupos focais, número de dias de cama, frequência e duração dos períodos de vigília e sono, escalas de depressão, número de idas aos hospitais ou consultas médicas, que são indicadores de saúde, e funcionalidade física e mental (WALLACE, 1998;PARDASANI, 2010;COBERLEY et al, 2011;RILL, 2011). Na França, as municipalidades (mairies) oferecem no seu Centre Culturel atividades regulares para os idosos residentes: jogos, oficinas, informática, etc.…”

“…Nos Estados Unidos, existem coortes de idosos que envelheceram frequentando centros de convivência (PARDASANI, 2010). As informações epidemiológicas obtidas permitem o monitoramento da saúde e a antecipação de problemas, a fim de ampliar a vida saudável dos idosos VERAS et al, 2007;COBERLEY et al, 2011). Nesses centros, múltiplas dimensões do cuidado podem ser observadas -atividades lúdicas e instrumentais.…”

Cardiovascular Effects and Enjoyment of Exercise Gaming in Older Adults

“…Moderate and vigorous levels of physical activity are essential to sustaining good health, and to help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and, some types of cancers. Physical activity helps to lessen the negative impact (e.g., lower quality of life) of chronic diseases in one's life (Coberley, Rula, & Pope, 2011). For older adults with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, obesity, and osteoarthritis, any physical activity can be an effective part of their treatment regimens to reduce the sequela of these diseases (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control, 2002).…”

Willingness to Pay for Senior Wellness Center

“…Wellness, in general, is a harmonization of body, mind, and spirit (Myers, Sweeney, and Witmer, 2000). For seniors, wellness means focusing on individual growth, being able to use life experience, building meaningful connection with others, realizing their life purpose (McMahon and Fleury, 2012) and promoting healthy behaviors in their daily life (Coberley, Rula, and Pope, 2011). Studies also found that leisure activity in wellness center plays an important role in promoting senior wellness because they help enhancing both physical and psychological strength of the elderly (Heo and Lee, 2010, Sperazza and Banerjee, 2010, Sperazza et al, 2012.…”