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Care Connection will offer a free workshop series in Holden to help older adults live healthier.
The “Living a Healthy Life” course begins at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the Holden Senior Center, 204 W. Second St. The course consists of six weekly sessions of two and a half hours each on Wednesday afternoons. Pre-registration is required by calling 1-800-748-7826.
The course is offered at no cost to people 60 and older and their caregivers.
“Living a Healthy Life is for people who have challenges with a chronic illness or condition, such as high blood pressure, back pain, diabetes, or heart disease, and also for individuals who are helping loved ones with any chronic issue,” said Rona McNally, Care Connection’s Director of Special Projects.
The workshop uses proven practices based on a series of studies conducted at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Topics include nutrition, making healthy choices, exercise, coping techniques to deal with frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation; medication management, communication with family, friends and health professionals, and the evaluation of new treatments.
“The class helps identify ways of handling the challenges of day-to-day life and setting goals for improvement,” McNally said. “It’s personalized. You are not told what you need to do. These situations don’t involve a one-size-fits-all approach, so the workshops involve a process of identification of the methods that will work for you – healthy lifestyle choices and daily habits.”
A textbook, journal, recipe book and other materials will be provided. Participants make weekly action plans, share experiences, and help each other solve problems they encounter in creating and carrying out their self-management program.
David Kesinger, 65, a retired postal worker from Warrensburg, and his wife, Margaret, recently attended the class in Knob Noster. He said he would recommend it to others.
“It was educational. Both instructors were knowledgeable,” Kesinger said. “I have Type II diabetes, and I am learning something new all the time about diabetes and what foods you should and shouldn’t eat and how to prepare foods. The class addressed a lot of these things.”
McNally said she hopes “participants will find support among one another. We hope you will find a buddy to provide support and accountability.”