A group of older adults recently met at the Green Township Senior Center to learn about healthy aging through the Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE) program.
Senior Center Director Catherine Salamone learned about WISE from Mary Ellen Mallory, the Hamilton County Public Health population health specialist who works with the Green Township WeTHRIVE! team.
“The WISE program seemed like a perfect fit for Green Township,” Mary Ellen says. “Their WeTHRIVE! team focuses a lot on making sure older adults in the area feel a sense of community and connection. The senior center has such an engaged membership. I thought WISE would be relevant to what they’re going through during this stage in life.”
What is WISE?
WISE is an evidence-based wellness program for older adults. (Check out this PDF for a summary of the program and its curriculum.)
In Hamilton County, the program is facilitated by Mary Wolff (left), coordinator of the Hamilton County Suicide Prevention Coalition, which is based at Talbert House (a WeTHRIVE! partner).
Participants meet weekly for six weeks. Topics include the aging process, safe medication use, stress management, depression, and even gambling.
Group members might share their experiences with losing a loved one, living with a chronic disease, or dealing with new technology.
Overall, discussions are meant to help seniors celebrate aging, make positive lifestyle choices, and feel more confident and in control of their lives.
“A lot of it is education, but it’s done in a fun way,” Mary emphasizes. “We’re not judging people. We’re trying very much to be about supporting and understanding.”
Why do older adults need the program?
“There’s a lot of things that change that we don’t really always talk about,” Mary says. “Not everybody’s experience is the golden years. It might actually be more of a struggle.”
Mary sees older adults struggling with things like:
- Lingering effects from the loneliness and isolation of the COVID pandemic
- Retirement that brings changes, both good and not so good
- Losing a spouse, loved ones, and friends
- A confusing healthcare system
- Dealing with a chronic disease, pain, or dementia
- A child or grandchild who has substance use disorder
“And we also know from our data that older adults, particularly men, their suicide rates are some of the highest in Ohio. And we don’t pay enough attention to that.”
Mary continues, “Mental wellness, as we phrase it now, is …a different way of looking at things. And quite frankly, everybody always assumes that older adults don’t want to talk about these things. They actually do. We just never gave them the opportunity.”
How did participants respond to WISE?
“The seniors that came to it loved the class, loved the information,” Catherine says. “They seemed very engaged. It was a relaxed environment. That made it okay for them to talk about things they maybe don’t usually discuss with others.”
“They really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. And they enjoyed Mary’s personality.”
Mary adds, “You’re getting that cross peer to peer support and developing some relationships with people who don’t always know each other. So you’re building some of that socialization, which I think is…the secret sauce.”
Attendees received a Hamilton County resource guide and handouts about all the topics that were discussed. They also took home medication lock boxes and Deterra bags (for safe unused drug disposal).
The Green Township Senior Center is a special place
The center has more than 1,000 members from Green Township and surrounding communities. Catherine says members are engaged and look out for one another. “It’s a very community oriented and friendly environment. If they notice somebody’s not been in class for a week, they’ll come to me and ask if I can check on them.”
They also take ownership of the center, she adds. “Each group activity here has a leader that is a senior, who kind of heads it up. I think that is a big reason this center is so successful.”
Mary reports that the older adults who participated in WISE told her how much they appreciate the center. “They recognize that not everyone has this kind of resource where they live. I sensed a lot of pride in the community, which was very nice to see. This is a resource that really can make a difference in the quality of life.”
Seniors may need WISE, but they have a lot of wisdom!
“The resiliency in this population is always amazing to me,” Mary says. “These are folks who are resilient. They’ve seen a lot of things. And that wisdom is something we don’t really consider valuable, but it’s absolutely essential to being able to manage your life long term. They really are smarter than they realize about a lot of things. Some of this stuff that we think is new, it’s not. It’s stuff that they were doing a long time ago.”
Bring WISE to your community!
Besides senior centers, WISE will come to community centers, recreation centers, senior living buildings, churches, and libraries. “We’ll go anywhere where there’s a group of people that want to have this,” Mary says.
The program is free. And while it’s geared to adults age 60+, Mary thinks it would also be helpful for caregivers who serve that population.
Learn more by contacting Mary Wolff. You can email her at mary.wolff@talberthouse.org or call 513-338-8773.
You can learn more about the Green Township Senior Center at this website or their Facebook page.