Blueprint Partners Progress Newsletter: January 2007

In This Issue

NCOA Seeks Best Practices Programs and Services
AHA Launches Walking Campaign for Workplaces
Office on Women’s Health Offers New Website on Aging Well
Alliance for Aging Research Provides Webzine
New HHS Website Promotes Long-Term Care Planning
Americans Support Public Policies to Prevent Obesity, Survey Shows
Access to Outdoor Facilities Important for Nursing Home Residents
Upcoming Events

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NCOA Seeks Best Practices Programs and Services
The National Council on the Aging has issued a national call for creative and best practices in home safety assessment and modification that address fall risks and are associated with a comprehensive fall prevention intervention. The 10 selected programs will receive a cash award and certificate in addition to national recognition. The self-nomination process involves using an online survey tool. The survey is available only until the end of January. For more information, contact fallsfree@ncoa.org
Survey: www.surveymonkey.com

AHA Launches Walking Campaign for Workplaces
The American Heart Association has recruited actress Jane Seymour to help promote the new “Start!” campaign, which encourages corporations and workers to increase their physical activity. The “Start!” campaign provides an online fitness and nutrition calculator, a company recognition program, a walking program, and a fundraiser that combines walking with raising money to fight heart disease and stroke.
www.americanheart.org

Office on Women’s Health Offers New Website on Aging Well
The new Aging Well, Living Well links provide resources on topics from diseases and conditions to fall prevention and mental health. A section on physical activity is included.
www.4woman.gov

Alliance for Aging Research Provides Webzine
The Alliance for Aging Research offers Living Longer and Loving It, a quarterly webzine, which covers various topics related to health. Registration is required, but the site is free.
www.agingresearch.org

New HHS Website Promotes Long-Term Care Planning
The new National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information website provides comprehensive information about planning, services, and financing options for long-term care, as well as tools to help people begin the planning process.
www.longtermcare.gov

Americans Support Public Policies to Prevent Obesity, Survey Shows
In a telephone survey of 1,139 adults, 85 percent said they would support tax breaks for employers who provide exercise space for their employees. Additionally, 73 percent would support government incentives for companies that reduced the cost of health insurance for employees who had a healthy diet and lost extra pounds. The survey provides evidence that Americans would support policy changes that affect obesity, according to the study researchers at Duke University Medical Center. The findings were published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
(Source: HealthDay)
www.nlm.nih.gov

Access to Outdoor Facilities Important for Nursing Home Residents
Texas A & M University architect Susan Rodiek studied residents’ attitudes about spending time outdoors. She found that the ability to go outdoors was equated with a higher quality of life and that residents who require the highest level of care and are wheel-chair bound feel that they need to go outdoors more than anyone else. The useage of outdoor facilities, according to the study, is dependent on how easy outdoor areas are to access, the aesthetic appeal of the outdoor area, and specific features, such as shade, benches, and plants.
newsarchives.tamu.edu

Upcoming Events
American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Summit & Expo
March 21-24, Dallas, TX

IHRSA 26th Annual International Convention
March 28-31, San Francisco, CA

American Occupational Therapy Association 87th Annual Conference
April 20-23, St. Louis, MO

Visiting Nurse Associations of America Annual Meeting
April 25-27, Palm Desert, CA

CDC Diabetes Conference
April 30-May 3, Atlanta, GA

American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting
May 2-6, Seattle, WA

Assisted Living Federation of America Conference
May 14-17, Dallas, TX

American College of Sports Medicine 54th Annual Meeting
May 30-June 2, New Orleans, LA

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The Blueprint Partners Project is an initiative of the Active Aging Partnership. For more information, contact the Blueprint Partnership Office at the University of Illinois Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, 119 Freer Hall, 906 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801.
E-Mail: blueprint@kines.uiuc.edu
Phone: (217) 244-7122
Website: www.agingblueprint.org