Motivate

- The Early Years
(1973-1979)
- Don't Just Think About it - Do It
(1983-1984)
- Body Break
(1989-1991)
- Vitality
(1991-1995)
- Sharing A Healthier Future
(1996-1998)

Mobilize

- ParticipACTION Saskatoon
- CrownLife ParticipACTION Challenge

Educate

- Healthy Active Living
(Older Adults)
- Fitness: The Facts
(Workplace)
- Project APEX
(Children)
- Promotions
(1972-79)
- Promotions
(1980-86)

Impact

- International Involvement
- Canadian Public Health Association Supplement

Structure

- Historic Timeline
- People
- Sponsors

Healthy Active Living For Older Adults

Fast Facts:
Educate: Healthy Active Living For Older Adults (New Brunswick)
Dates: Number of years during the 1990’s
Description: Educational and promotional resources provided to support the efforts of local leaders working with older adults.
Funding: Resources paid for by sponsor AstraZeneca (former Astra Pharma) and the Government of New Brunswick

Overview:

This program was intended to support the efforts of leaders (mostly volunteer) of community-based programs for older adults (in the Province of New Brunswick). The idea was originally suggested by the then provincial Minister of Health, Dr. Russell King, and implemented over a number of years in the 1990’s.

The program provided information and an opportunity for older adults to discuss in small groups, five areas of health deemed important by them: making healthy choices, wise use of medications, healthy eating, physical activity and stress management.

Target audience: leaders of community-based programs for older adults and through them older adults directly (in the bilingual Province of New Brunswick).

Funding for this resources-rich program was provided primarily by the Health Alliance Division of Astra Pharma (today AstraZeneca). Funding, both dollars and in-kind leadership support, was also provided by the Government of New Brunswick.

OBJECTIVES

• Provide "easy-to-use" educational materials and training for the leaders of older adult programs throughout the province
• Cooperate with the two provincial "seniors organizations" and government officials to support their efforts targeting the health education of older adults
• Manage media promotions to create awareness of the program and encourage participation

RESOURCES

• Training binders and educational tools (slides, educational video, overheads, handout information for duplication, lesson plans of varying length, etc) for the use of local leaders
• Promotional materials (brochures, posters, television PSA ad, flyers for distribution through drug stores, etc)
• Provided letterhead, business cards and briefcases for the use of local, volunteer leaders (mostly older adults themselves; peer leadership) to build pride and help them to feel more "professional"

IMPLEMENTATION

• The various resources were prepared (and tested) with the extensive involvement of representatives from the two seniors organizations in the province and health officials. (Peggy Edwards was the lead author for the educational resources and the Cormana Group developed the video and television materials.)
• Regional older adult leaders were recruited by the seniors’ organizations and received special training to in turn train and supervise local older adult volunteer leaders. (Regional leaders received modest payment for their responsibilities.)
• Community-based volunteer leaders were trained and provided with their personal resource kit. They became the front-line deliverers of the program to small groups of older adults (meeting in recreation centres, church basements, homes, etc)
• ParticipACTION approached the media to generate exposure for the program and provided information sheets to drug stores to distribute to older adult customers
• Posters were provided to communities with space for them to include local information (meeting time and place, contact number, etc). Brochures for broad distribution were also provided
• The provincial government funded a Program Coordinator to manage the implementation of the program province-wide.This successful program, continuing for a number of years during the 1990’s, was frequently cited in health professional circles as a successful model of private-public partnership and peer leadership