Healthy Aging

Brain Health | Falls Prevention |Living Well | PEARLS—Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives | Access to Healthy Food | Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program | Oral Health

Aging and Disability Services promotes evidence-based programs in the Seattle-King County area that can keep you moving and help you stay connected.

In addition, Aging and Disability Services promotes access to basic needs like health food and oral health.

Additional healthy aging programs and services are available in the community. Click on the headings below for more information.

Brain Health
Following are several ways that Aging and Disability Services supports brain health.

Dementia Action Collaborative

The Dementia Action Collaborative (DAC), established in 2016, is a statewide group of public-private partners committed to preparing Washington state for the growth of people with dementia. The DAC includes a range of appointed members including people with dementia, family caregivers, legislators, representatives of advocacy groups, the Aging Network, Alzheimer’s organizations, long-term care providers, health care professionals, and governmental agencies, including Aging and Disability Services and several other Area Agencies on Aging.

cover of the Dementia Road Map published by the Washington State Dementia Action Collaborative Click on the image above to open the Dementia Road Map.

The mission of the DAC is to guide and support the implementation of the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.

An important accomplishment in 2018 was the creation of the Dementia Road Map (available online in English and Spanish). This Washington state-specific “roadmap” was developed to provide family caregivers with information about Alzheimer’s and dementia, and what to expect over time, to help them plan.

The Dementia Action Collaborative also produced a Dementia Legal Planning Toolkit and crafted a call to action about African Americans and Alzheimer’s Disease, including ways that organizations can help.

Memory Care and Wellness Services

Memory Care and Wellness Services (MCWS) is a specialized day program for people with dementia and their caregivers. MCWS provides a safe, social, and therapeutic environment with meaningful services and activities, including a structured, evidence-based fitness program and health assessments by RNs and occupational therapists. Family caregivers receive support and service coordination as they strive to maintain their own health, wellness, and optimal functioning.

Star-C

Star-C is an evidence-based intervention for Alzheimer’s and dementia care that help caregivers with managing difficult behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Four one-hour in-home visits and two 15-30-minute phone calls are conducted over six weeks, followed by with four phone calls. The program lowers depression in caregivers and decreases problem behaviors in the person with dementia.

Falls Prevention

Did you know that one in three Americans age 65+ falls every year? Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans (see this and other sobering statistics below). Many of these falls are preventable. Aging and Disability Services promotes public awareness about how to prevent and reduce falls among older adults.

Falls Prevention Awareness Day is September 22

screenshot - title screen: Focus on Falls Prevention - Seattle Human Services Department Lunch & Learn on September 22, 2022

Click on the image above to watch a video recording of the Seattle Human Services Department’s Lunch & Learn: Focus on Falls Prevention, which took place September 22, 2022.

On September 22, 2022, the Seattle Human Services Department hosted a lunch & learn that focused on falls prevention awareness. Mary Pat O’Leary, Aging and Disability Services, coordinated and emceed the online event, which featured physical therapist Kele Murdin and pharmacist Diep Ngo. A transcription is available here.

Following are resources recommended by the presenters:

Falls Prevention Awareness Day is a national day of recognition that raises awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older adults. For information about ways that you or your organization can get involved, read the National Council on Aging (NCOA) Falls Prevention Awareness Week Impact Reports. The NCOA also provides useful infographics and handouts (click here).

For information about programs available in Seattle-King County, see resources listed below or e-mail ADS planner Mary Pat O’Leary.

Falls Prevention Statistics

  • One-quarter of Americans aged 65+ fall each year.
  • Every 15 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall.
  • Every 29 minutes, an older adult dies following a fall.
  • Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
  • Sixty percent of fatal falls occur in the home.
  • In Washington state, falls result in over 12,000 hospitalizations each year (compared to 2,600 hospitalizations due to motor vehicle accidents).
  • Fifty-four percent of older adults are discharged to skilled nursing homes after hospitalization for falls.
  • Only 22 percent of people hospitalized for falls are able to return home.
  • The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach over $101 billion by 2030.

For more statistics, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

The Centers for Disease Control’s Guide to Implementing Effective Community-Based Falls Prevention Programs includes tips for planning, partnerships, selection of an evidence-based falls prevention program, and implementing, promoting, and assessing your program.
flyer cover

Falls Prevention in Russian and Ukrainian Communities

In April 2012, Aging and Disability Services received a Washington State Department of Health grant to test the effectiveness of the fall prevention strategies among Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking long-term care case management clients living in residential facilities who had a history of falls or were at higher risk for falls.

video screenshot     video screenshot

Participants viewed What YOU Can Do to Prevent Falls, a falls prevention “digital story” created in two languages by Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking case managers at Aging and Disability Services. Click on each image to view.

For a summary of results, read “Falls Prevention Efforts Succeed in South King County.”

Falls Prevention Resources

Tools for Health Care Providers and Human Services Professionals

Recent Articles

Living Well

event flyer coverOngoing conditions like arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, pain, and lung disease often force older adults to give up their independence. Evidence-based programs shown here can help you improve your health and maintain your independence.

Living Well workshops were developed by the Stanford University School of Medicine. A series of six workshops, held once a week in community settings such as senior centers, churches, libraries, or hospitals—places where people with different chronic health problems frequently come together. The workshops are facilitated by two trained leaders, one or both of whom are non-health professionals who have an ongoing health condition or chronic disease themselves.

The model emphasizes the patient’s role in managing ongoing or chronic health conditions. Peer leaders help participants build self-confidence and adopt healthy behaviors. Subjects covered include:

  • Techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation.
  • Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance.
  • Appropriate use of medications.
  • Communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals.
  • Nutrition.
  • How to evaluate new treatments.

The process through which the program is taught makes it effective. Classes are highly participative. Mutual support and success build each participant’s confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives.

The program is especially helpful for people with one or more ongoing or chronic conditions. It gives them the skills or tools they need to manage their health and keep active.

Resources

  • AARTH—African American Reach and Teach Health (Jasmin Tucker, Program Coordinator, jasmint@aarth.org or 206-850-2070)
  • Aging and Disability Services (Mary Pat O’Leary, 206-684-0683)
  • Kaiser Permanente (Kathryn Ramos, 206-326-2807)—workshops are for Kaiser Permanente patients
  • Kin On Community Health (Michael Woo, 206-652-2330)—focus on Chinese-speaking community
  • Sound Generations (Camille Gabriel Carlson, Process Improvement Manager, 206-268-6715)
PEARLS—Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives

The Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) is an evidenced-based treatment program for older adults with disabilities who also have minor depression, which is recognized by the Administration on Community Living as meeting the highest criteria.

The PEARLS program is an outgrowth of a five-year research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC). The research study showed PEARLS home-based depression management counseling significantly reduced depression symptoms and improved health status in chronically medically ill older adults with minor depression.

PEARLS participants are three times more likely than non-participants to significantly reduce or completely eliminate their depression.

Aging and Disability Services offers no-cost, in-home, PEARLS counseling to adults aged 55 years or older, including those who served in the military, their spouses, and spouse survivors.

PEARLS helps people feel better by identifying problems and working toward solutions. PEARLS counseling may be provided in addition to other veteran and non-veteran services.

Eligibility

  • for a referral form click hereFeeling down, sad, or hopeless more than half the days
  • Little interest or pleasure in doing things more than half the days
  • Aged 55 or older
  • English speaking
  • Veteran, military spouse, or spouse survivor

Not functionally impaired by schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, manic depressive disorder, cognitive impairment, or current substance or alcohol abuse

Materials

The following articles about veterans, many regarding PEARLS, were published in AgeWise King County:

To view two brief videos about PEARLS support for veterans, click on each of the images at the bottom of this page.

See more information and resources for veterans at www.agingkingcounty.org/veterans.

Contact

For more information about PEARLS, contact Suzet Tave (206-615-0533).

Older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers, family members and professionals can call us to get objective, confidential information about community resources and service options.

This program received funding from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy.

King County banner

 

Resources:

video stillThe Program to Encourage Rewarding Active Lives: A Digital Story,
by Paul Snow, Aging and Disability Services, September 2012.

video stillThe Program to Encourage Rewarding Active Lives,
by Lori Sanford, Aging and Disability Services, February 2013.

Access to Healthy Food
report cover Click on the image above to read “The State of Senior Hunger in America” (2018).

Our decades-long commitment to healthy aging includes funding for both community- and home-delivered meals for elders, and programs that combine culturally-appropriate physical fitness and food.

ADS helps meet the dietary needs of adults age 60+ through congregate and in-home meal programs and nutrition education, allowing for better physical and mental health, and greater independence and social contact. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of meals were served to King County residents, including:

  • 35,340 individuals who received meals at senior centers or other congregate meal sites
  • 320 individuals who received emergency meals
  • 2,690 individuals who received home-delivered meals

Community Meals

Congregate meal programs help meet the dietary needs of adults 60 years and older by providing nutritionally sound meals in a group setting. Nutrition education and social and fitness activities are also provided.

Watch the Video

Home-delivered Meals

Aging and Disability Services also contracts with community-based organizations to provide home-delivered meals (sometimes called “Meals on Wheels”) for older persons who are unable to leave their homes to shop or prepare nutritious meals. For information about eligibility, contact Community Living Connections at 1-844-348-5464.

Farm to Table

brochure coverFarm to Table is a partnership effort to bring fresh local produce to programs serving children and older adults in Seattle and King County.

By making healthy food more affordable and easier to access, our goal is to increase the health and well being of our community’s most vulnerable populations by:

  • Identifying purchasing options to meet program needs and budgets, including online ordering through the Puget Sound Food Hub, CSA models, and buying direct from farms.
  • Building skills and knowledge through community kitchen trainings, farm tours and other educational opportunties.
  • Helping communities develop low-cost shared purchasing models for ordering bulk produce to distribute in natural gathering places.

Awards and Recognition

Farm to Table logoFarm to Table Partners

Resources

  • Farm Fresh Food by Season
  • grocewry bag iconGood Food Bag
    A community based CSA model where communities and programs purchase in bulk and distribute to members in affordable family or individual sized portions.

  • Training Video for Senior Meal Programs
    Filmed at the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation, and produced by WSDA’s Farm to Schools Program in collaboration with Senior Services (now known as Sound Generations).

  • Puget Sound Food HubLog-in to Farm to Table purchasing website

F2T Presentations and Reports

F2T Media Coverage

F2T CDC Grant Related Materials

Funding

Funding is currently provided by the City of Seattle, Public Health Seattle-King County and the HumanLinks Foundation.  The CDC provided initial funding for the project through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) and the Community Transformation grants, both of which have enabled project partners to leverage other resources and opportunities.

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

2023 Enrollment Period Now Closed

The application period for the 2023 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program closed on May 19, 2023.

In 2023, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will provide an e-Benefit card valued at $80 (one-time distribution) to be used for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

image of e-Benefit card that will be issued in 2023 to Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program participantsThe Washington State Department of Social & Health Services has provided Frequently Asked Questions handouts in the following languages (click to open; download and print, if desired):

Eligibility

2023 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program flyer

Click on the image above to open the 2023 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program flyer in English. See also: Amharic | Chinese-Simplified | Chinese-Traditional | Khmer | Korean | Laotian | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Tagalog | Tigrinya | Ukrainian | Vietnamese

To apply, all of the following must be true:

  • Age 60+ (or age 55+ if you are American Indian or Alaska Native) by June 30.
  • Low income—no more than:
    • $2,248 monthly ($26,976 annual) income for one person
    • $3,040 monthly ($36,480 annual) income for two people
    • For larger households, add $792 for each additional person
  • King County, Washington resident (check King County zip codes here)

How to apply

To apply, use one of the following options. Do not apply more than once, duplicate applications will be removed.

  • Apply online: Open the online application. Online applicants can select one of 13 languages in the upper right corner of the application site.
  • Apply Online oval buttonPrint and return by mail: During the application period, application forms (PDFs) were available in 13 languages, below. Printed applications needed to be completed and mailed to the address on the form, postmarked on or before May 19, 2023.

Selection process

Completed applications received will be entered into a random selection process. If your name is selected, you will receive your vouchers/checks by mail in July 2023.

Application tips

Following are tips provided for completing the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program application. We are unable to process your application if it is incomplete.

  • Print information clearly on your form.
  • Be sure you meet individual eligibility (listed above).
  • Include your apartment number, if applicable.
  • Sign the form in the Participant Signature box. Note: The form must be signed by the person applying for the vouchers.
  • Include your full date of birth (month, day, and year).
  • Complete all of the boxes.

If you need help completing your application, contact Community Living Connections at 206-962-8467 or (toll-free) 1-844-348-5464.

Applications

When the application period is open, application forms are available in 13 languages:

English

application | rights & responsibilities

Amharic Amharic application | rights & responsibilities Somali application | rights & responsibilities
Cambodian Cambodian application |  rights & responsibilities Spanish application | rights & responsibilities
Chinese Chinese application | rights & responsibilities Tagalog  application |  rights & responsibilities
Korean Korean application | rights & responsibilities Tigrinya application |  rights & responsibilities
Laotian application | rights & responsibilities Ukrainian application |  rights & responsibilities
Russian Russian application |  rights & responsibilities Vietnamese application |  rights & responsibilities
Shop Safely at Your Farmers Market flyer

Click on the image above to open a Shop Safely During COVID-19 flyer in English to print or share, or select one of the following languages: Chinese | Russian | Spanish

Find a farmers market near you!

Please note that the COVID-19 pandemic is still underway. People in high-risk categories are encouraged to stay home and stay healthy, even as the community re-opens to others. All Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program participants should follow advice from the Washington State Department of Health, shown in the flyer at right.

image of King County farmers market flyer

Click on the image above to open a two-page flyer with a list of King County farmers markets

Resources

Oral Health

How does Washington stay healthy? One of the ways is managing our mouths.
For a series of public service announcements about oral health produced by the Washington Dental Service Foundation, visit The Mighty Mouth.

Aging and Disability Services recognizes that oral health is an important factor in overall health and well-being. Healthy People 2030 includes objectives focused on reducing tooth decay and other oral health conditions and helping people get oral health care services.

Oral Health Self-Management Plan

oral health flags flyerLike flags on a beach that indicate hazardous surf conditions, ADS has created green, yellow, and red oral health flags that indicate health (green), indications of poor health (yellow), and situations that require immediate medical attention (red). Special thanks to the Washington Dental Service Foundation for reviewing this information.

On the back of the Oral Health Flags, you will find a Personal Health Record (PHR) that can help track contact information for your dentist and other health care providers, questions to ask your providers, medications and supplements you take, and other important information.

flyerPatient Handouts:

Oral Health Care Cards for Caregivers

The Washington Dental Service Foundation developed Oral Care Cards for Caregivers cards in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association. These are a great tool for caregivers looking for techniques to make oral care easier.

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Finding Affordable Dental Care

We know it’s difficult to access affordable dental care. A good place to start is Finding Dental Care, a SeniorsOralHealth.org webpage maintained by our partners at Washington Dental Service Foundation. There are three links:

In addition, we recommend contacting Community Living Connections to request information about other forms of assistance.

Resources

Click on the headings above for more information. For free, confidential access to aging network services in Seattle-King County, contact Community Living Connections.