Clemson receives grant to help older adults manage care

Published: November 17, 2009

By Hannah Sykes

CLEMSON — The United States Department of Health and Human Services awarded Clemson University College of Health, Education and Human Development professor Cheryl Dye and her colleagues two grants totaling more than $700,000 for programs that help local older adults manage chronic health conditions.

The director of the Institute for Engaged Aging and a professor of public health sciences, Dye and her colleagues Deborah Willoughby, a professor of nursing, and Joel Williams, an assistant professor of public health sciences, are finishing one program and starting another to teach older Oconee County residents techniques for managing their chronic conditions through the assistance of community volunteers.

The first program, which will conclude in the spring of 2010, received approximately $375,000 of the federal funding. Dye and Willougby trained 46 community volunteers to be “health coaches” and paired them with 70 high-risk discharged home health services patients. The health coaches helped the patients learn to manage chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease with techniques such as medication management, healthy eating and physical activity.

The health coaches also socialized with patients and helped them gain access to community resources to reduce utility bills, find food assistance and locate volunteers for home repairs.

“Often a person will be motivated to manage health conditions if they understand that disease management is directly linked to their ability to engage in valued life activities,” Dye said.

One elderly woman in the program was encouraged to increase her daily activity to improve mobility. She enjoyed gardening but was unable to stoop to ground level. Several health coaches constructed a raised platform upon which she could garden, enabling her to spend time outdoors and be more active.

The program has been beneficial for both the volunteers and the patients, Dye said. The patients receive informative support while the health coaches have an opportunity to play a meaningful role in the lives of others.

In the second program, which began in May and will continue through 2012, Dye and Williams will train health coaches to work with groups of patients with hypertension in small group classes, support groups and with telephone counseling to help them achieve their personal health goals related to hypertension management.

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