Wellness for Every Body

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Wellness for Every Body is a physical activity and nutrition program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) which offers a new approach to improving the health of IDD clients. Instead of focusing on individual client education, the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department (HSPHD) provides training and technical assistance to managers and staff in HSPHD’s contracted group homes, and day training and habilitation (DT&H) sites for adults with IDD. The goal is to ensure these facilities provide opportunities and environments that allow clients to make healthy choices. HSPHD conducts assessments of their policies, systems, and environments to determine the extent to which healthy eating and physical activity are supported in the homes and DT&H sites. After the managers select their priorities for improvement, county staff provides technical assistance on how to create lasting change in their operations. For example, providers have chosen to remove unhealthy foods from vending machines, eliminate food as a reward for client behavior, and incorporate stretching exercises into daily routines. Due to the high rate of staff turnover, ongoing training based on the needs of the staff population working in these sites is essential. Hennepin County has developed video and e-learning modules on nutrition, cooking skills, and physical activity to address these ongoing needs.