Tagged: Consumer Forums
ENACT in the Community: The BOOST Exercise Program
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ENACT fellow Aileen Ledingham assists with one of the BOOST exercises
Dr. Kristin Baker, PhD, PI of ENACT’s BOOST study, and doctoral fellow Aileen Ledingham, PT, MS, recently spent time exercising with members of The Historic Peoples Baptist Church of Boston. The congregation at Peoples Baptist Church has achieved great success with its Health Ministry since it began several years ago. After starting a walking group with the support of ENACT and the New England Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation in 2010, the group has continued to ‘walk’ in strides! While the program has had excellent sustainability, the Boston winters always sidetrack the activity of the group. Those snow drifts can be pesky for people with arthritis!
To address this challenge, Dr. Baker extended our community programming initiatives by bringing the evidence-based BOOST exercise program to the members of the church to help them acquire a self-sustaining option to stay active during bad weather. Dr. Baker led one session per week for 4 weeks and then used some mHealth technology to support the interim sessions to encourage participants to develop confidence in both doing and leading the exercises. The group continues to use their BOOST training along with regular walking activity and anticipates that it will take them through the winter!
Peoples Baptist Church was recently a featured “FitChurch” in a Boston Black Ministerial Alliance video, where their accomplishments were touted as a model for other churches, with a goal of being replicated nationally in the religious community. Congratulations to Peoples on this well-earned recognition!
Living with Arthritis: Dr. Julie Keysor Speaks with Community Members in Dorchester, MA
On April 19th, ENACT center director Dr. Julie Keysor attended Understanding Chronic Disease: Arthritis and Diabetes to speak with members of the 12th Baptist Church in Dorchester, MA about daily strategies for living with arthritis.
Dr. Keysor's talk, titled "Arthritis: Medical Management, Movement, and You!", generated a lively conversation, full of positive comments about realistic ways to address the impact of arthritis on daily activities.
ENACT in the Community
ENACT proudly participated in two recent community events in Boston:
On March 11, 2012 ENACT Center Director Dr. Julie Keysor presented People's Baptist Church of Boston, MA with the 6 Million Steps Walking for Wellness Award. ENACT first came into contact with this group in September 2011, when they pledged to walk 5 millions steps in a community walking kick-0ff co-sponsored by ENACT and the Arthritis Foundation, New England Region. This energectic and committed group not only walked those 5 million steps, but an additional million as well! That is no small feat- congratulations to the walking group of People's Baptist Church.
Participants in the "Best Bones" health fair join in for a Zumba demonstration
ENACT participated in a recent community health fair at Greenwood Memorial United Methodist Church in Dorchester, MA. Held March 17, 2012, the "Best Bones Forever" health fair targeted family health with a focus on active living. ENACT participated by providing answers and information about the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in the presence of rheumatic conditions.
For more on ENACT's community activities, click here
ENACT and the Arthritis Foundation Bring Exercise Program to Annual Rosie’s Place Health Fair
The Health Fair at Rosie’s Place provides an opportunity for women who are poor or homeless to receive free health screenings and wellness information.
Stefanie Howlett, A DPT student at Boston University's College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, staffed the Arthritis Foundation table at this year's event. Stefanie has become a certified Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program Instructor through a training program offered collaboratively by ENACT and the Arthritis Foundation.
The informational table offered educational materials related to arthritis and pain management and simple exercises that can be done anywhere. Twenty organizations participated in the event and 100 women were served.
Student Exercise Instructors Implement New Skills at Roxbury’s Reggie Lewis Center
Three DPT students at the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Laura Furey, Janice Chen, and Stefanie Howlett, are leading the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program at the Reggie Lewis Center (RLC) in Boston, MA.
Twice a week, 30 seniors meet to discuss general health topics related to arthritis management, exercise, and falls prevention and participate in an exercise class aimed to enhance strengthening, stretching, and aerobic endurance.
Laura Furey notes ”The class has been great! Each week we have more participants attending our class. The seniors at the RLC are all active and eager to participate in the classes and learn more about exercise. Their high levels of energy and enthusiasm about the class have made this an enjoyable experience. It has been an invaluable experience to promote physical activity within the community and we look forward to the remainder of the classes.”
Congratulations to Laura, Janice and Stefanie for completing the program and becoming certified Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program Instructors!
Consumer Forum April 30
ENACT and the Arthritis Foundation hosted the first in a series of Consumer Forums, on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at The People's Baptist Church, 830 Tremont, Roxbury. It was intended to provide information to those suffering from arthritis and their families and friends. Forthcoming Consumer Forums will be announced on this website. Everybody is welcome.
