Download Patient Benefits and Expected Outcomes

Region 9 Area Agency on Aging Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Programs
Patient Benefits and Expected Outcomes
Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA)-Region 9 Area Agency on Aging (AAA) has
received funding and specialized training to bring the PATH Programs to the twelve counties of its
service area: Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda,
Otsego, Presque Isle and Roscommon. Class leaders are trained by NEMCSA Master Trainers and fidelity
to the program is ensured by the NEMCSA Master Trainers. Classes are held at senior centers, churches,
hospitals, clinics and other community settings. Personal Action Toward Health (PATH) is an evidencebased, self-management program researched and developed by Stanford University. The target
populations are adults aged 60 or older with a chronic health condition or a caregiver of such an
individual. The program is particularly helpful to under-insured individuals that are not yet eligible for
Medicare or are Medicaid recipients.
PATH participants attend a weekly 2 ½ hour group class for six (6) weeks. The frequency and duration of
classes are designed to influence a habit—whether it is to break a bad habit or develop a new, positive
one. Two trained leaders facilitate the group, one of whom has a chronic health issue him/herself. It is
the process of the program that makes PATH effective. Sessions are highly participatory. Mutual support
and success builds each participant’s confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain
active and fulfilling lives. PATH participants individualize the management of their chronic conditions by
identifying their own emotional and environmental issues, physical risks and concerns and then learn to
develop tools to address those issues. Each class builds upon the skills learned at previous classes. Thus,
participants are encouraged to attend the entire series of classes.
Participants demonstrate improvement in exercise, cognitive symptom management, communication
with physicians, self-reported health, social activities and a decrease in health distress, fatigue, disability
and fewer days in the hospital.
The “A Matter of Balance Program” (MOB) operates on a similar platform as PATH, but meets for two (2)
hours weekly over an eight (8) week period. MOB is an evidence-based falls prevention program.
Participants learn to view falls and fear of falling as controllable, set realistic goals to increase activity,
change their environment to reduce fall risk factors, and exercise to increase strength and balance.
Workshops available: (see back for more detail)
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Chronic Disease Self-Management (a.k.a. PATH) - designed to educate and empower individuals
in management chronic disease and maintain active and fulfilling lives.
Diabetes Self-Management (a.k.a. Diabetes PATH) – designed to educate and empower
individuals in management Type 2 Diabetes and maintain active and fulfilling lives.
Chronic Pain Self-Management (a.k.a. Chronic Pain PATH) – designed to educate and empower
individuals in management of chronic pain and maintain active and fulfilling lives.
A Matter of Balance (a.k.a. MOB) – is a falls prevention program designed to reduce the fear and
risk of falling and increase activity levels.
Most PATH classes are free; however, some clinics may charge a nominal fee for the entire course.
NEMCSARemote/AgingSharedFolder/EBDP/Guide_PatientBenefits 10/26/2015
Region 9 Area Agency on Aging Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Programs
To refer an individual to any of the workshops, contact the Region 9 AAA Project Coordinator, Kara
LaMarre, at (989) 358-4616. Visit http://www.nemcsa.org/Region_9.aspx or
http://www.mihealthyprograms.org/ for more information
Can PATH or MOB Programs Help Your Patients?
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Chronic Disease Self-Management: Your patients will learn:
1. Techniques to deal with frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation.
2. Appropriate exercise to maintain strength, flexibility and endurance.
3. Appropriate use of medications.
4. How to communicate effectively with family, friends and health professionals.
5. About nutrition and making good food choices for their health.
6. How to make informed treatment decisions.
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Diabetes Self-Management: Your patients will learn:
1. Basic information about diabetes, management of blood sugars, how to develop a weekly
action plan as a key to self-management.
2. Causes and treatment of low blood sugars, problem-solving techniques, a formula for
healthy eating, nutrition label reading with practice in menu planning.
3. Guidelines for preventing diabetes-related complications, benefits and choosing appropriate
exercise for fitness and safety, effects of stress and positive ways to deal with it.
4. Management of emotional concerns such as anger, fear, frustration and depression as well
as practicing positive thinking.
5. Skills for communicating with health professionals, measures to follow a medication regime
and how to lessen medication side effects, manage sick days, proper skin and foot care.
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Chronic Pain Management: Your patient will learn:
1. Goal setting and problem solving skills to successfully master tasks they want to accomplish
with increased confidence in their abilities to deal with symptoms and problems caused by
their chronic pain.
2. Modeling—when taught by people like themselves, they are able to see self-management is
possible.
3. Reinterpreting Symptoms—people act based on what they believe about their illness. By
learning to change or expand their beliefs, they begin to try new things to relieve symptoms
and resolve problems.
4. Persuasion—by asking participants to set goals, make action plans and phone calls, they are
persuaded to try new things, make desired changes and increase their confidence in
managing their condition.
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A Matter of Balance (Fall Prevention): Your patient will:
1. Identify and recognize their core beliefs about falls.
NEMCSARemote/AgingSharedFolder/EBDP/Guide_PatientBenefits 10/26/2015
Region 9 Area Agency on Aging Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Programs
2. Identify barriers to exercise and its importance in preventing falls.
3. Identify physical factors such as low blood pressure, weakness, poor flexibility and balance
and learn how to counteract those factors with exercise specific to those issues.
4. Identify misconceptions and self-defeating thoughts and learn how to shift to selfmotivating thoughts.
5. Identify and determine risk-taking behaviors and identify actions and thoughts to help
change behavior to reduce risk.
6. Identify potential home and community fall hazards and strategies to reduce risk using
assertive behaviors. Participants engage in a weekly exercise component beginning in week
3, which allows time to secure physician permission if there are health indicators that
warrant approval for light exercise.
Matter of Balance Data accessed from http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2015/15_0096.htm illustrates MOB
participant improvement in decreased number of falls, improved outcome on Performance Oriented Up and Go
(Tinnetti POMA test), Times Up and Go (TUG) test, and Functional Reach (FR).
Tuo-Yu Chen, PhD; Jerri D. Edwards, PhD; Megan C. Janke, PhD (2013) The Effects of the A Matter of Balance Program on Falls and Physical Risk of Falls,
Tampa, Florida, ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 12 — September 24, 2015
NEMCSARemote/AgingSharedFolder/EBDP/Guide_PatientBenefits 10/26/2015
Region 9 Area Agency on Aging Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Programs
Select PATH data from
mihealthyprograms.org
MI-PATH-Update-5-27-15.pdf
NEMCSARemote/AgingSharedFolder/EBDP/Guide_PatientBenefits 10/26/2015