n By LETITIA ESTEP Special to The Democrat Jan Smith, a multi-faceted volunteer for the Marlin community, was guest speaker at Rotarian Bettye Tarver’s program during the weekly Rotary Club meeting held Sept. 27, at the Chicken Place.  Thanks and appreci

Jan Smith, a multi-faceted volunteer for the Marlin community, was guest speaker at Rotarian Bettye Tarver’s program during the weekly Rotary Club meeting held Sept. 27, at the Chicken Place. 

Thanks and appreciation was extended to Rotarians Hermetta Paul, Bettye Tarver, Letitia Estep, and Susan Byrd who volunteered and served at food distribution to over 220 families at the Central Texas Mobile Pantry event of Sept. 26.

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve … You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan Smith expounded on the Area Agencies on Aging workshops that have taken place and will again be conducted locally by State licensed trainers. 

Texas Area Agencies on Aging is the statewide network of local area agencies on aging dedicated to understanding and supporting the needs of adults over 60 and their caregivers. There are 28 Area Agencies on Aging in the state of Texas with over 200,000 seniors served annually and growing. 

Area Agencies on Aging have been serving older adults for more than 45 years. Each agency in the network provides dozens of relevant services and programs. It has flexible and trained staff to implement relevant and proven evidence-based programs, such as the Matter of Balance falls prevention system and the Chronic Disease Self-Management program (also known as Better Choices, Better Health).

Other programs or workshops cover Stress-Busting for Family Caregivers and Diabetes Self-Management.

A Matter of Balance: This eight-week class helps participants reduce their risk of falling. A Matter of Balance emphasizes practical strategies to reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels.

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. This program has been adapted from the original intervention to be more suitable for community-dwelling older adults by allowing small group sessions to be led by a trained facilitator.

The Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers: It is designed to improve the quality of life of family caregivers and help caregivers manage their stress and cope better with their lives.

Jan Smith advocates, “Caring for a loved one takes strength. Learn about ways to care for yourself, and prepare for the present and the future. Find support.”

The program consists of nine weekly 90-minute sessions. The program is conducted in a small group setting with two trained group facilitators. Participants are provided a variety of resources including a handbook which covers class content.

The Stress-Busting Program teaches: 1) The impact of stress on one’s health and how it relates to caregiving; 2) How to deal with stress through relaxation techniques and problem solving; and 3) How to care for oneself while providing better care for one’s loved one.

Caregivers who have completed this program feel significantly lower stress, depression, and anxiety and are able to enjoy a better quality of life. They have also experienced improvement in their ability to relax, manage stress and feel better about themselves.

Chronic Disease Self-Management: This workshop provides older adults with education and tools needed to help cope with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or arthritis. It helps participants manage stress, discuss the benefits of physical activity and good nutrition, and helps participants communicate more effectively with family, friends, and health care providers. Participants develop action plans related to these topics through structured planning and feedback exercises. Since older adults disproportionately experience chronic diseases, the U.S. Administration on Aging supports the dissemination of self-management programs for chronic diseases.

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program was developed at Stanford University. Results have shown that seniors who participate in the program improved their healthful behaviors and decreased their days in the hospital. Each program consists of six classes, held once a week, for 2½ hours.

Diabetes Self-Management: The Stanford University Diabetes Self-Management Program consists of six 2½-hour workshops, led by health coaches who have successfully managed diabetes. Workshop topics include techniques to deal with the symptoms of diabetes; exercise for maintaining and improving strength and endurance; healthy eating; appropriate use of medication; and working more effectively with health care providers.

For more information about A Matter of Balance classes, contact Jan Smith at (254) 495-0858.