A six-week series of free workshops to help seniors 55 and older manage their chronic health conditions will take place beginning this month at the YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester, 515 North St., White Plains. They are scheduled for: Sept. 19 and 26 and Oct. 3, 17, 24 and 31 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will not be a workshop on Oct. 10 because of the Columbus Day holiday. (Registration is now closed for this series of workshops but they will be presented again at a later date.)
Chronic diseases include heart disease, high-blood pressure, pain, anxiety, diabetes, arthritis and obstructive pulmonary disease. U.S. Census statistics indicate that an estimated 327,520 people over age 60 who live in the seven-county lower Hudson Valley region have one or more chronic illnesses.
The workshops are part of the federal Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and are being coordinated by the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS). Registration is required and space is limited. Parking is free.
Senior Centers may post the flyer for members to see. For more information or to sign up contact Annette Alve at (914) 995-3108 or .
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program was developed by the Division of Family and Community Medicine at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and is administered in New York by the University of Albany’s Center for Excellence in Aging and Community Wellness. DSPS is working with the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services to manage the program in Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster counties.
Instruction is based on the model developed by Stanford University, and the workshops are led by trained individuals. Trainers for the YWCA workshops are Annette Alve, program coordinator for the Westchester County Office for Women, and Paul Keppler, a retired businessman. Both are experienced leaders, who have been trained by the professionals involved with the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program at the University of Albany.