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Making the grade
–
Wisdom Steps
marches to new heights
June is the time of
year Minnesota high school seniors earn their
graduation diplomas.
But for the
second-straight year, it’s also the month that
"seniors" within the state’s American
Indian community earn their kudos of another kind.
At a three-day
conference on June 3 to 5, this year’s wave of
successful participants in Wisdom Steps – a
comprehensive health and wellness effort targeted
toward American Indian elders – will be recognized
for their efforts along with being empowered with
new information on how to lead healthier lives.
Last year, about
400 American Indian elders "graduated"
from the first step of the process by earning a
Wisdom Steps pin and an eagle charm. A new batch of
first year "students" will earn their
eagle charm this year while successful second-year
participants will get a wolf charm. Those who make
it through the full three-year effort of Wisdom
Steps will earn the bear charm, starting next year.
"(At that
time) we hope to give thanks for those who
participated with a traditional pow wow," said
Mary Snobl, who operates the Indian Elder Desk for
the Minnesota Board on Aging. Wisdom Steps is a
joint effort of the MBA and the state’s American
Indian communities with efforts taking place on 11
reservations and in three urban communities (Duluth,
Minneapolis and St. Paul).
The program is not
overly rigorous, but rather is designed to help
participants develop healthy habits in their
exercise and diet. And along the way, Wisdom Steps
are leading to other benefits as well.
Screenings and
exercise
"What we’re
really doing is asking people to meet this specific
criteria for their health," Snobl said. To meet
their Wisdom Steps incentive plan, elders are
required to participate in two of the three focus
areas. Leading that criteria are completing required
health screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose,
cholesterol and weight. On top of that, participants
are asked to undergo one more screening in an area
of their choice ranging from hearing and vision to
dental care and health issues particular to each
sex. Along with that, participants must attend their
annual tribal or community health fair.
The third and
largest part of Wisdom Steps is practicing healthy
living techniques, including regular exercise and
better eating. After two years, officials are seeing
some dramatic results.
Patricia Ells,
chair of the Wisdom Steps board of directors, shared
the story of a diabetic participant who had never
been able to get her blood sugar level within the
proper range. After taking part in the program, she
got within the limits.
Snobl also shared
the experiences of a double amputee who had been a
driving force in getting others in her community to
join in on walks.
Other benefits,
recognition
Wisdom Steps
encourages elders to be involved in programs that
are available through tribal health, elder and
Indian health services. Some communities provide
exercise facilities with trained staff, who have
taken great effort to develop elder programs ranging
from active aerobics programs to swimming and chair
exercises.
To encourage more
participation in exercise, incentive plans are being
developed. Leonard Wells, a retired firefighter who
lives on the White Earth Reservation, has been
helping develop those incentives.
"You set your
own goal based on your abilities," he
explained. "We want people to be honest with
themselves to set a goal that they’ll be able to
work on and achieve."
Once the goal is
set, participants get a tally sheet to keep track of
their progress and acts as a reminder to keep at it,
Wells added.
Right now, the only
payoff for those who meet their goals is improved
health, but Wells said work is being done to get
some inexpensive exercise items, like head bands or
wrist bands, that goal achievers could earn.
While improved
health is the primary goal of Wisdom Steps, other
benefits have had offshoots from the program as
well.
With walking
playing a big role in the exercise piece of the
puzzle, efforts have been made to identify safe
paths to take those walks in the community. Also,
Snobl said, cold-weather indoor alternatives have
been identified or developed. In some locations,
investments have been made in developing exercise
facilities and adding trained staff, including
exercise physiologists at some sites.
Group walks have
become a social time as well as a healthy time in
the elder communities, Snobl said. And a newer focus
of Wisdom Steps is to encourage younger generations
of American Indians in the community to get involved
in the walks as well.
"We want to
put an emphasis on what we can do to help model
health habits for our children and
grandchildren," Snobl said. And along those
walks, talks relating to family history, culture and
native languages can be shared.
"Wisdom Steps
is very holistic," Snobl said. "It gets us
back to the way life was before there were cars and
we spent so much time at computers or watching
TV."
Others are taking
notice of Wisdom Steps as well. The program recently
earned a pair of awards. One was from Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Minnesota for its Champions of Health
Award. In the past year, it was also recognized as a
winner of an award given by the Minnesota Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports, a branch of the
Minnesota Department of Health.
Medicine Talk
expands
After a test run on
the White Earth reservation this past year, Medicine
Talk, a branch of Wisdom Steps addressing
prescription drugs and elders, will be going
statewide this coming year.
"We’ve had
people ‘brown bagging’ it, bringing in their old
medicines for a review by a pharmacist,"
explained Luella Seelye, Project Director for the
Area Agency on Aging for the Chippewa tribes. In one
case, an elder brought in a pill bottle dated from
1964.
"We’re also
working to get information to the seniors on the
questions they should be asking their doctor and
pharmacist," she added. They should be asking
why specifically they need the medication, what
foods to avoid prior to taking it, when should they
take it and what side effects to watch for.
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