Evidence-Based Programs

Walk With Ease

This program has been proven effective in increasing balance, reducing pain, improving mental health, flexibility and overall physical health. Walk With Ease (WWE) is the only walking program identified as arthritis-appropriate and evidence-based by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brought to you by the experts you trust at the Arthritis Foundation, WWE provides techniques to build up and maintain a successful walking program. This program consists of both an education piece and a walking element.

This 6 week program will meet for one hour (2 times a week) for an educational discussion followed by a walk on the indoor track. Walks will increase in length each week. If you can be on your feet for 10 minutes without increased pain you can have success with Walk with Ease. With this program you will gain both practical knowledge and skills needed develop and maintain healthy walking habits.

PROGRAM INFORMATION:

• Session Dates: Oct. 23 - Nov. 29
• Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
• Time: 1 - 2 p.m.
• Location: Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
• Fees: This program is FREE to all (Registration required)
• Registration Deadline: Oct. 20

Active Living Every Day

Active Living Every Day is like no exercise class you’ve ever been to, it’s designed to help you get on track and stay there. In fact, you won’t formally exercise at all in your weekly Active Living classes. Instead, you’ll focus on finding ways to be active every day: at work, at home, on vacation, etc. 

During this class participants will learn to:

• Implement proven strategies to help you overcome barriers
• Set realistic goals
• Build confidence 
• Cultivate the motivation that you need to become and stay physically active

PROGRAM INFORMATION:

• Session Dates: Sept. 25 - Dec. 11
• Days: Mondays
• Time: 1 - 2 p.m.
• Location: Liberty Community Center Red room
• Fees: This program is FREE to all (Registration required)
• Registration deadline is Sept. 21

Below are some other Evidence-Based Programs we offer at different times throughout the year. If you are interested in hearing more about these, please fill out the INTEREST FORM and a staff member will contact you. 

A Matter of Balance 

Many older adults experience a fear of falling. People who develop this fear often limit their activities, which can result in physical weakness, making the risk of falling even greater. A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls is a program designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults. The program includes eight two-hour small group sessions led by a trained facilitator. This nationally recognized program was developed at the Roybal Center at Boston University. During the class, participants learn to View falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, make changes to reduce fall risk at home and exercise to increase strength and balance.

Aging Mastery Program  (AMP)

The Aging Mastery Program® (AMP) is a 10-week program designed to empower older adults to make and maintain small but impactful changes in their lives. The program was developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and is currently being run in numerous organizations nationwide Aging Mastery is a comprehensive and fun approach to living that celebrates the gift of longevity. Central to the AMP philosophy is the belief that modest lifestyle changes can produce big results and that people can be empowered to cultivate health and longevity. Equally important, the program encourages mastery—developing sustainable behaviors across many dimensions that will lead to improved health, stronger financial security, enhanced well-being, and increased connections to communities. The path to mastery is entirely individual. Individuals set their own goals and create their own pathways to these goals, opening the door to autonomy and purpose in the process. 

Circle of Friends

The overall goal of the Circle of Friends® is to alleviate and prevent loneliness for older adults. Circle of Friends® allows members to meet new people, engage in meaningful activities and discussions, and share feelings of loneliness. This group meets once a week for twelve weeks and focus on goal- oriented encouragement for group members to share input with facilitators and influence the content of meetings. The aim is that members will build strong relationships with one another and continue to meet independently once the formal group has concluded.

Diabetes Self-Management

The American Diabetes Association identifies this program as meeting the Diabetes Support Initiative criteria for support programming. Each session of the workshop is very interactive allowing participants to build confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives through mutual support and success. Workshops are 2.5 hours long and held once per week over a seven week period of time with plenty of socializing breaks built into each session.

Enhance Fitness

Enhance Fitness®  is a 16 week exercise focused class that meets in-person and begins with an assessment. This program is full body progressive workout utilizing ankle weights and dumbbells. Each class will consist of a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of aerobic activity, 20 minutes of strength training, 5 minutes of cool-down and 10 minutes of stretching. All fitness levels are welcome. The class is FREE and requires registration and has attendance standards that require the commitment of 3 classes per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:40a.m. Class size is capped at 20. 

Healthy Eating Every Day

Whether you’re looking for ways to improve the quality of what you eat, are you trying to balance calories to reach a healthy weight, need a total diet makeover or just a tweak here and there, Healthy Eating Every Day has the answers for you! This program will empower you to change your eating habits for a lifetime with fun and simple, whole-diet approaches that do not eliminate food groups or require you to cut out meals. Learn to identify and cope with triggers that lead to poor eating; identify methods to eat well when dining out; create shopping lists for healthy foods within your budget; read and understand food labels and eat a balanced diet that includes foods you enjoy.

Steps to Healthier Living with Chronic Conditions

This is an interactive evidence-based workshop designed for adults living with a chronic condition such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, as well as adults who care for someone with a chronic condition. This workshop focuses on helping adults manage their chronic conditions through goal setting; stress, anxiety and depression management, physical activity, healthy eating, appropriate use of medication and effective communication with health care providers, family and friends.

Steps to Healthier Living with Chronic Pain

This workshop will focus on helping adults manage their chronic pain through goal setting; techniques that help manage frustration, fatigue, isolation, and poor sleep, physical activity, healthy eating and appropriate use of medication, as well as, effectively communicating with health care providers, family and friends. Workshops are 2.5 hours long and held once per week over a seven week period of time with plenty of socializing breaks built into the workshops.

Walk With Ease

This program has been proven effective in increasing balance, reducing pain, improving mental health, flexibility and overall physical health. Walk With Ease (WWE) is the only walking program identified as arthritis-appropriate and evidence-based by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brought to you by the experts you trust at the Arthritis Foundation, WWE provides techniques to build up and maintain a successful walking program. This program consists of both an education piece and a walking element. This 6-week program will have walks  that will increase in length each week. If you can be on your feet for 10 minutes without increased pain you can have success with Walk with Ease. 

Evidence Based Programs are funded in part by an award to the Missouri Association on Area Agencies on Aging  through a grant from Prevention and Public Health Fund given by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living.