Public Health and Policy Project |
HaNDS for Older Adults Dietitians in community nutrition programs are active advocates of people facing health and nutrition issues. In order to increase awareness of the importance of community nutrition and to train the students to design programs to successfully address those issues, a Community Nutrition Project was included in our program. Since I had a keen interest in elderly nutrition, I decided to develop a program that allowed me to critically analyze the issue of nutritional risks in older adults living alone. To initiate my research I did a pilot presentation at Greater Randolph Area Services Program (GRASP). Educational handouts and surveys were also distributed to the attendees. The statistics based on my research revealed that in spite of a variety of programs and services available, basic needs of the older adults are not being met. Further research revealed the gaps in the provision of services. My research also unveiled the discrepancies in attitudes, behavior and knowledge among older adults regarding the services provided. I decided to develop a resource and nutrition education directory for older adults. Marketing and promotion helped me design an introductory flyer for the target population so they become aware of the available resources. I designed a grant proposal as a marketing tool for the grants committee so they recognize the legitimacy and urgency of the issue. Project presentation helped the audience understand multiple factors related to the issue. Overall this project provided an excellent learning opportunity. It provided me inner satisfaction as I availed multiple opportunities to interact with the target population and know their issues first hand. |
