EnhanceWellness

The goal of EnhanceWellness is to improve the health and functioning of older adults living in Missouri. More specifically, program staff aim to identify risk factors for disability and promote behavioral changes to reverse those factors.

A trained nurse or social worker conducts the program in three stages. First, participants complete a detailed questionnaire that assesses their confidence to exercise, manage health issues, and work with a doctor. Next, EnhanceWellness staff work with each participant to develop a health action plan that focuses on an at risk health issue that the participant chooses. And lastly, the EnhanceWellness team helps move the participant into the action stage and helps with problem-solving, health education, and referrals to support groups for additional services.

The goal of EnhanceWellness is to improve the health and functioning of older adults.

Six months after participants have been in the program they are asked to complete a questionnaire which is compared to their initial questionnaire. These comparisons show that 80% of participants maintain or improve in the area they focused on and there is a 72% decrease in hospital stays, 35% decrease in the use of psychoactive medicine, and an 11% decrease in depression.