course materials

1. Assignment: Health Behavior Change for the Elderly
Assignment: Health Behavior Change for the Elderly ON Assignment: Health Behavior
Change for the ElderlySimilar to other population groups, the elderly have special
considerations that should be taken into account when planning health behavior programs.
Consider, for instance, the physical challenges faced by elderly people, such as changes in
hearing and vision or mobility issues. They also may need more time to process
information, particularly with material they have not previously experienced. The Learning
Resources this week present many such challenges that you may need to consider when
working in a health behavior capacity with older adults.To prepare for this Discussion, read
the following case study in light of this week’s readings on health behavior change as it
pertains to the elderly. Consider potential issues related to this population group that might
arise when implementing this program and how you might address them.Your local
community center would like to implement a training program for seniors (inexperienced
with computers) in which they would learn to use computers for accessing health and
medical information. They attempted to start such a program, but no one signed up for it.
They have asked you, as a health psychology professional knowledgeable about the elderly,
to help them develop and market a program that will appeal to the community’s seniors.
Consider the issues within this age group that might arise when implementing this
program.Post by Day 4 a description of two challenges that might arise in implementing this
program and explain why each is a challenge with this population group. Then explain two
possible ways the community center might address each challenge. Be specific and your
response with references to the Learning Resources.Be sure to your postings and
responses with specific references from the Learning Resources.Required
ResourcesReadingsArticle: Fogelholm, M., Valve, R., Absetz, P., Heinonen, H., Uutela, A., Patja,
K., … Talja, M. (2006). Rural–urban differences in health and health behaviour: A baseline
description of a community health?promotion programme for the elderly. Scandinavian
Journal of Public Health, 34(6), 632–640.Retrieved from the Walden Library using the
Academic Search Complete database.Article: Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2008). Exercising
your brain: A review of human brain plasticity and training-induced learning. Psychology
and Aging, 23(4), 692–701.Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES
database.Article: Huang, L.-H., Chen, S.-W., Yu, Y.-P., Chen, P.-R., & Lin, Y.-C. (2002). The
effectiveness of health promotion education programs for community elderly. Journal of
Nursing Research, 10(4), 261–270.Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic
Search Complete database.Article: Reed, A. E., Mikels, J. A., & Simon, K. I. (2008). Older adults

2. prefer less choice than younger adults. Psychology and Aging, 23(3), 671-675.Retrieved
from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.Book Excerpt: Hartley, J.
(1999). What does it say? Text design, medical information, and older readers . In D. C.
Park, R. W. Morrell, & K. Shifren (Eds.), Processing of medical information in aging patients:
Cognitive and human factors perspectives (pp. 233–247). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.© 1999 by
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC., via
the Copyright Clearance Center.Book Excerpt: Aguilera, C., Dailey, W. H., Perez, M. A.
(2008). Aging and health education: Partners for learning. In M. A. Pérez & R. R. Luquis
(Eds.), Cultural competence in health education and health promotion(pp. 201–2 12). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Assignment: Health Behavior Change for the Elderly