Minutes from October 8, 2013 Meeting

Aging and Disability Minutes 10/8/13

Present: Cindy Harrington (Shelters of Saratoga), Rick Amico (Community Hospice), Maria Geizer (Home Instead), Jess Froehlich (Eddy Day Break Adult Day Program), Jocelyn Blanchard (SAIL), Hannah Fairchild (SAIL), Irene Barlow (SAIL), Cathy Tucker (Ameriprise Financial), Kym Hance (Home Helpers), Mary Rickard (Saratoga County OFA), JoAnn Zales (National Grid), Jen Herrington (Mechanicville Area Community Center), Sara (Mechanicville Area Community Center), Kim Swire (CHOICES at St. Peter’s).

Introductions:

Cindy Harrington welcomed all attendees and announced that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday November 12^th at the Temple Baptist Church in Waterford. Andy Gilpin, Director of Program Services for  CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services, will be presenting on Bridges Out Of Poverty. December’s meeting will be held at the Malta Community Center on December 10^th.

Attendees introduced themselves.

Today’s Topic and Presenter:

Public Health Education – Karen Laing, BSPH, Owner/Founder of Your Health Advocate.

Karen discussed the concept of health literacy, which is the skills and knowledge to make appropriate choices regarding one’s health, as well as navigating the health system and responding appropriately to a public health crisis.

Specific health literacy skills include communicating your needs to the right healthcare personnel, negotiating for your own health concerns, getting timely medical testing done, knowing your personal health history, and being able to understand medical forms.

Commons signs of low health literacy include medication misuse, an inability to follow MD’s orders, refusal to use walking aids when needed, and an increase in ER use.

According to research, only 12% of English-speaking adults in the US have proficient health literacy skills. Having a chronic physical or mental illness or being over the age of 65 are both associated with lower health literacy skills.

When folks are directly taught health literacy skills, medication compliance, exercise, healthy nutrition and school/work attendance all increase. Misuse of MD offices and ERs decreases.  Positive impacts on children’s physical and mental health were also recorded in research.

Karen offers several workshops regarding health literacy and addressing specific health literacy skills. To get more information, contact her at yourhealthadvocate@hotmail.com or call at 518-881-6405. The website for Your Health Advocate is www.Your-Health-Advocate.com .