Increasing Opportunities for Health Ann Robinson & Melinda DelFratte
Overview • What is “wellness”? • Current health statistics for people with disabilities and caregivers • How do we make behavior changes? • Moving from What to Why • Why workplace wellness? • How can the organization support wellness activities? • Getting started with programs • Suggestions
What do we mean by ‘Wellness’?
Health Status of Adults with IDD • Studies have found the rate in adults with IDD of physical inactivity to be 4.5 times higher and obesity to be 1.3 times more likely compared to people without disabilities • More likely to have poor health literacy • More likely to smoke and make poor diet choices • Experience high rates of chronic health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, and heart disease
Health Status of DSPs • One study found that 32% of DSP use tobacco, 25% are overweight and 40% are obese • Have been shown to have poor lifestyle habits: – 41.2% are not meeting daily requirements of fruit/vegetable intake – 40% ate fast food at least 2x per week A majority of DSPs see themselves as having a large role in promoting health to their clients
Behavior Change How do people make behavior changes? SLOWLY! • Studies have shown that it typically takes anywhere from 2-6 months • To break a habit, we typically need to form a replacement habit at the same time
Stages of Change https://youtu.be/Twlow2pXsv0
Moving from What to Why
How can we design programs that help people change habits? Peer support • People are more likely to change health behaviors (diet, physical activity, tobacco) when they are doing it with people around them • Role-modeling – People with disabilities often see direct support staff as a friend and role-model for health behaviors
How can we design programs that help people change habits? Goal-setting • Encourage small health goals that build toward a larger goal- more opportunities for success! • Create activities where people can set group or partnership goals for built-in peer support
How can we design programs that help people change habits? Make it fun • Work in different types of opportunities to build interest and confidence • Create activities that play on existing interests- TV, music, sports, characters, seasons. • Add sneaky wellness into these activities • Make room for choice, take turns choosing
How can we design programs that help people change habits? Focus on addition, not subtraction • Instead of taking away things people like, present opportunities to try healthier foods and activities. • Work in small amounts of physical activity instead of replacing another activity with full class. It all adds up! • Build awareness through tracking
Benefits of Workplace Wellness Return on Investment: ● Reduced health care costs ● Reduced Absenteeism ● Lowered workers’ compensation claims Value on Investment: ● Reduced health care costs ● Reduced Absenteeism ● Lowered workers’ compensation claims ● Improved employee engagement and employee satisfaction ● Increased productivity ● Improved overall organization financials and growth ● Improved recruitment ● Reduced turnover
How can policy be used?
Organizational Support Q: How can we create a culture of wellness? Encourage leadership/management to show support for healthy activities: Create wellness plan Create wellness committee Distribute a wellness calendar/newsletter/postings Offer small incentives for participation Dedicated staff time Dedicated weekly schedule time Promote events & educational classes Attend kick-off meetings
Organizational Support Encourage discussion of health promotion goals in ISP meetings- health is more than medication management or doctor appointments! ● Have a list of options at meeting so people do not have come up with ideas themselves Whenever possible, promote healthy options ● Vending, postings/communications, wellness calendar, point of decision prompts (Try water instead of soda!) ● Give people ideas of healthier incentives for treats (veggie burger instead of hamburger, smoothie instead of milkshake)
Ways to do things with little resources Partner with community organizations and educational inst. • OSU Extension offices, local hospital systems, churches, senior centers, student organizations or college departments Use technology when possible • Free health apps-food tracking, exercise, meditation, mental health, smoking cessation • Topical websites • YouTube Leverage health plan or public health resources • Adapt existing programs to the needs of your group
Getting Started with New Programs • Introduce activities that require various levels of commitment • Combine with existing initiatives to be present in the community and make choices
Getting Started with New Programs Cause and effect activities Can help people gain motivation for participation in programs or to learn how to make choices that will benefit them long-term • Find ways to visually represent the effects of a health or unhealthy lifestyle – Giant puzzle pieces, flip books, word bubble exercise, social stories • Be specific and use a variety of examples – Health is a big topic with many modifiable factors. (dental and other hygiene, skipping meals, social participation)
Program Suggestions • National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) • Website has instructional materials and videos on inclusive physical fitness and healthy eating • Healthy Lifestyles For People with Disabilities program • developed by people with IDD Resistance band exercises •
Program Suggestions ● HealthMatters Program ○ 12-week exercise and nutrition education program designed for people with disabilities ○ Resources page has links to instructional materials and FABS videos ● HealthMessages Program: Peer to Peer coaching ● MyPlate, MyWins ○ online tools for healthy meal plans, nutrition tracking
Program Suggestions ● Cooking classes or workshop ● Grocery store tour ● Fruit/Vegetable of the Week -taste-testing of different preparation methods, talk about how this food fuels your body ● Try out new healthy restaurant choices, smaller portion sizes ● Test new healthy recipes and create a cookbook of favorites ● Menu planning and budgeting My 25 Program
Program Suggestions ● Stress management ○ Relaxation methods: Mindfulness , meditation, yoga, tai chi (YouTube!) ● Deep breathing exercises
Utilize Free Resources from Government Agencies Public health and other government resources are out there that can help you! -CDC, local public health, USDA Don’t forget Aging and Children’s health programs - More universally designed activities. - May be intended for larger groups/organizational use
Questions? Suggestions? http://go.osu.edu/OPRA18
The Ohio Disability and Health Program (ODHP) is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded program aimed at improving the health of people with disability in Ohio. ODHP is a partnership between the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University, the Ohio Department of Health, the University of Cincinnati University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UC UCEDD), and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center. Ohio Disability and Health Program Principal Investigator: Susan M. Havercamp, PhD The Ohio State University Nisonger Center 371 McCampbell Hall, 1581 Dodd Drive Columbus, OH 43210 phone 614.685.8724 I fax 614.366.6373 I http://nisonger.osu.edu/odhp www.facebook.com/OhioDisabilityandHealthProgram www.twitter.com/OhioDHP ODHP is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement Number 1NU27DD000015-01. The contents of this presentation are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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