The final two work groups are finishing up their draft recommendations for consideration by the Core Council later this month. Visit the current activities page of the initiative website for complete details on each work group.

Physical Activity and Nutrition Work Group

The Physical Activity and Nutrition work group is addressing the issue of health and wellness, the benefits of illness prevention, access to healthy food choices, and the need for programs and policies to support choices and activities that ensure elders remain healthy and active as long as possible. The work group is co-chaired by Margaret Biersack and Tom Oosterbaan and is expected to finish their recommendations shortly. Click here for more information.

Access to Health Care Work Group

Co-chaired by Paul Ippel and Teresa Branson, the Access to Health Care work group is wrapping up their work. The group is addressing the issue of unmet mental and physical health needs, use of screening and basic medical care, and financial issues related to medications, in order to ensure elders are healthy and their quality of life is enhanced. Click here for more information.

CCFL Meeting Dates

For a complete listing of all upcoming CCFL meeting dates click here.

Learning Opportunities

Click here for a listing of upcoming forums and conferences throughout the region.

ãWake the town, tell the people!ä: Focus on Health Promotion/Disease Prevention as a Means of Aging in Place

In its 2005 annual report to the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging (CSA), the State Advisory Council on Aging added a seventh factor to what it considers the components of an ãelder-friendly communityä: health promotion/disease prevention programs for all ages. The Council calls upon the aging network, service providers, and health care providers to be the ãtown crierä to reach older adults with the message that ãitâs never too late to make healthy choices.ä Read more...

Health and Wellness in the ãBonus Yearsä: CCFL Work Groups Point the Way

While our October CCFL Community Forum speaker, Abigail Trafford, places emphasis on life planning and social and civic engagement opportunities for older adults during their ãbonus years,ä she is quick to point out some of the potential roadblocks. In fact, one of her ãTen Tipsä is to ãwatch out for depressionä and she speaks passionately about ãthe need to find ways as a society to meet the needs of the increasing population of frail elders.ä

Several CCFL work groups have been exploring ways to engage older adults in Kent County in wellness activities as well as strategies for providing broader access to comprehensive, quality health care services. This monthâs Big Picture highlights a few of the model programs and research that work groups studied in developing their recommendations.

New Comprehensive Care Program Slated to Open in 2006
A partnership of five Kent County organizations is moving forward with plans for Care Resources, a comprehensive health care program for older adults who need assistance with chronic health conditions and activities of daily living. Read more...

Two Reports Summarize Current Research and Promising Practices in Addressing Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Older Adults
ãThe majority of older adults with substance abuse or mental health problems do not receive the treatment they need,ä according to an August, 2005 report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Among Older Americans: The State of the Knowledge and Future Directions. ãUnfortunately, the gap in services for older adults is even more pronounced in the area of prevention,ä the report says, ã...[which] has tended to reflect the common age bias that prevention applies to the young, but not the old.ä Read more...

ElderLynk: Because Rural Health Care is Different
When geriatric psychologist Rene McGovern began developing a mental health project to reach older adults in rural northeastern Missouri, she quickly realized that her experience designing outreach strategies in Cleveland, Ohio, would not necessarily apply. Read more...