| Health & Wellness
 The Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio actively encourages health and wellness programs for local seniors as well as its own employees. COA fully believes that the promotion of these programs supports the mission and strategic plan of the agency, to help individuals remain independent at home.
Council on Aging Wellness Programs
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) together with its partner agencies, is preparing for the changing demographics of the aging population. A new initiative combining Senior Life Journeys, a cultural exchange collaboration, and Clavinova Connection, a music-making wellness program, is starting between the Colerain Township Senior & Community Center and the Over-the-Rhine Senior Center (OTR) operated by Cincinnati Area Senior Services (CASS).
Active Lifestyles
Physical activity not only helps one stay healthy and physically fit, but also supports independent living.
Disease Prevention
As older adults are living longer it is increasingly important that steps are taking to prevent the early onset of disease. Many chronic diseases are preventable through healthy lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, physical activity and diet changes. Preventing disease can permit older adults to maintain independence and a higher quality of life.
Daily physical activity is an important tool to improving and
maintaining one’s health. Following the surgeon general’s
guideline of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 3 times
a week, can result in many benefits including lower blood pressure,
reduced stress, reduced risk for heart disease and certain cancers
and increased personal independence.
Active for Life
Healthy Town www.vnahealthytown.org
Healthy Town, a unique health promotion program, has demonstrated success in improving the health of seniors in diverse communities. Using innovative computer screening technology, Healthy Town identifies senior health risk concerns such as safety and injury prevention, alcohol, medication, and family abuse, anxiety and depression, and links seniors to follow-up for chronic illnesses.
The program educates staff at community centers about the health needs of their seniors, and guides them to develop on-site health programs. The Healthy Town web site presents easy to use health information specific to the technology screening questions.
Events in the Community
Senior Life Journeys
Senior Life Journeys was started in October 2005 by Kay Klosterman, Director of the Colerain Township Senior & Community Center, and Cheryl Ware, Director of the Over-the-Rhine Senior Center. The project addresses similarities and differences experienced by older adults from two diverse senior centers in the Cincinnati area. The project goals are to encourage dialogue, provide innovative outreach opportunities for cultural growth, and to foster and nourish appreciation of cultural diversity.
A taste of the programs offered through Senior Life Journeys are: personal histories, interpretive quilt-making through the Cincinnati Art Museum, cultural celebrations, photo journaling, pot luck ponderings, memoir writing, and exploring holiday traditions. The project was showcased at the 2007 American Society on Aging Conference in Chicago in March, 2007.
Clavinova Connection
In January 2007, Arlene de Silva, Chief Operating Officer at the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio and Amy Dennison, Music Director of the Preparatory Department at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of, collaborated to bring Clavinova Connection to Senior Life Journeys. Clavinova Connection is a recreational music-making wellness program for individuals age 55 and over. Yamaha is the maker of the digital piano known as the Clavinova.
According to Barry Bittman, M.D., and a team of researchers from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, “substantial research has documented numerous health benefits associated with various strategies that reduce the perception of stress, increase the sense of control and improve mood states. Nurturing/support, camaraderie, verbal and non verbal self expression, exercise, imagery and spirituality have considerable bio psycho-social impact on diverse populations.” A unique combination of these elements is encompassed by recreational music-making, which has been defined as “enjoyable, accessible, and fulfilling group music-based activities that unite people of all ages regardless of their challenges, backgrounds, ethnicity, ability or prior experience.”
Clavinova Connection has been effective in retirement communities nationally. The project between COA, CCM, Yamaha, Colerain Township, and OTR (CASS) is a first in Ohio, as well as a first nationally for a Council on Aging!
For information contact:
Chris Brand 513-345-8629, Kay Klosterman 513-741-8802 or Cheryl Ware 513-381-3007
The Healing Power of Music:
Clavinova Connection
Education about the suggested guidelines and resources available is an important step in disease prevention.
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