Mid-Hudson Valley Region Living Well Livable Communites-Put life back into your life

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) serves as the lead agency for the Mid-Hudson valley Region Living Well Livable Communities – Put life back into your life Chronic Disease Self-management Program (CDSMP). The Mid-Hudson Valley Region of New York State is comprised of seven counties serving nearly 400,000 persons age 60 and older. Living Well Livable communities is a self-management volunteer-based program. The Living Well Livable Communities Program is a peer-led, two and a half hour long workshop conducted over a six-week period. The program is based on the Stanford University School of Medicine national chronic disease self-management program model. These workshops are held in community settings such as senior centers, churches, libraries, senior housing developments, and hospitals. The program is geared toward individuals 60 years of age and older with a chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. The program offers support and practical ways to deal with pain and fatigue, discover better nutrition, exercise choices and how to communicate with medical providers and family about health conditions. Workshops are facilitated by two trained volunteers that serve as peer leaders, one or both of whom are non-health professionals with a chronic disease. The workshops are designed to cover topics that facilitate health behavior modifications that result in reduced medical visits and an improved quality of life.