Description
For people with disabilities, a good health and nutrition program can have life-changing results: more energy, increased knowledge, more confidence and self-esteem, and fewer serious health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This innovative, easy-to-implement curriculum is the perfect way to help adults build healthy lifestyles—and as a bonus, help communities reduce the high costs of common health problems.
A research-based, field-tested program that's already made a dramatic difference in the lives of participants with disabilities, this proven curriculum shows professionals how to conduct up to 59 one-hour sessions that help people make the best choices about health, exercise, and nutrition. Through lively discussions and activities, adults with a wide range of disabilities will
- increase their commitment to exercise and good nutrition by learning the benefits of physical activity, exercise, and healthy food choices
- develop clear exercise and nutrition goals and stick to them
- master the practical aspects of an exercise routine, including dressing appropriately, using proper breathing techniques, and doing cool-down exercises
- learn how their medications may affect their body, physical activity, and eating habits
- monitor their heart rate and blood pressure during exercise
- identify foods that make up a well-balanced diet
- locate places to exercise and use equipment safely
- improve their self-advocacy and self-esteem so they can make good choices and stay healthy
- create a group exercise video they can use at home once the program is over
- and much more
This single resource includes everything professionals need to run successful health education sessions: complete instructions on running the program, adaptable instructor scripts for each lesson, weekly newsletter templates for participants that summarize key points, extensive appendices on assessment and Universal Design strategies, and all the participant handouts and worksheets on a convenient CD-ROM for easy printing.
With this engaging, hands-on curriculum, people with disabilities will have the motivation and skills they need to improve and maintain their health—and fewer health problems translate into saved time, money, and staffing resources for whole communities.
Download updated materials:
MyPlate: A new way to illustrate the five major food groups
Reviews
Review by: Patricia Noonan Walsh, UCD, Dublin, Ireland
"A dynamic, practical curriculum that is driven not by checklists, but rather each person's readiness to change."
Review by: Timothy Shriver, Chairman & CEO, Special Olympics
Provides a set of tools that forges a path towards overall wellness, and will prove invaluable to those who work to "ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are and remain healthier human beings."
Review by: George Jesien, Executive Director, Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
"If you work with individuals with developmental disabilities, if you are concerned about promoting health and well being, and if you want concrete, day-to-day activities and ideas to carry them out, then you want this book."
Review by: David Carlow, Director of Health and Clinical Services, State of Connecticut Department Developmental Services, Hartford, CT
"A creative, innovative and valuable resource for promoting and improving the health of people with intellectual disabilities . . . a must read."
Table of Contents
Contents of the CD-ROM
About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Section I. Introduction to the Curriculum
Curriculum Format
Using the Curriculum to Start Your Exercise and Nutrition Health Education Program
Tips for Starting a Health Promotion Program
Teaching Approaches
Additional Considerations
Evaluating Changes in Participants
Summary
Section II. Health Education Curriculum
Unit 1. Physical Activity and Nutrition: Making Healthy Choices
Lesson 1: What Is Health?
Lesson 2: What Is Physical Activity?
Lesson 3: Things to Do Before We Exercise
Lesson 4: Exercise Is Good
Lesson 5: What Do Different Exercises Do for My Body?
Lesson 6: Good Nutrition
Lesson 7: How Much Energy Does It Take?
Lesson 8: Healthy Choices/Self-Advocacy
Unit 2: Changing Lifestyle: What Are the Things We Do?
Lesson 9: What Do I Think of Me?
Lesson 10: What Is My Heart Rate?
Lesson 11: What Is My Blood Pressure?
Lesson 12: What Exercises Do I Like in My Community?
Lesson 13: What Are Good and Bad Influences?
Lesson 14: Am I Drinking Enough Water?
Lesson 15: What Foods Do I Like to Eat?
Lesson 16: How About My Medications and Exercise?
Unit 3: Making Lifestyle Changes: Setting Goals
Lesson 17: Things to Remember When Exercising
Lesson 18: Community Fitness Center Visit: Using Exercise Machines Safely
Lesson 19: How to Breathe When We Exercise
Lesson 20: Why Do We Clean Equipment?
Lesson 21: Nutrients We Need
Lesson 22: Exercise Plans: Becoming More Active
Lesson 23: Nutrition Plan: Making a Menu
Unit 4: Lifestyle Changes: Doing My Program
Lesson 24: Wants and Needs: Doing Different Exercises in My Community
Lesson 25: What Is Good Pain and Bad Pain?
Lesson 26: How Does Sleep Affect Physical Activity?
Lesson 27: Negotiation and Compromise
Lesson 28: Can I Exercise If I Feel Sick?
Lesson 29: Am I Meeting My Goals?
Lesson 30: Rewarding Myself
Unit 5: New Lifestyle: Keeping My Program Going
Lesson 31: Restructuring My Environment
Lesson 32: Getting Back on Track
Lesson 33: Creating an Exercise Video
Lesson 34: Reviewing Our Goals to Stay Connected
Lesson 35: Putting It All Together
Lesson 36: Finishing Touches on Our Video
Lesson 37: Graduation Party
Section III: Appendixes
Description of the Appendixes
Appendix A: Lifelong Learning Lessons
Appendix B: Glossary
Appendix C: Sample Exercise Workouts: Flexibility, Aerobic, Balance, and Strength Exercises
Appendix D: Universal Design for Health Promotion: Developing Creative Solutions for People Who Have Severe/Profound Intellectual Disabilities and a Variety of Physical Disabilities
Appendix E: Testing Procedure Manual
Resources
Index