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Community Training and Collaboration

Your stress can stop, your health can improve, and your love can grow by using just two simple poems and four Satisfaction Skills.

These  same skills and poems –  supported by workshops, videos, storytelling, music and e-learning – can help you and/or caregivers to work more closely  with the professionals providing  your emotional, social and/or spiritual care.

Could it be that simple?  YES!! 

 Less Stress, Better Health and More Love,  created by Tom and Kathy DeLoughry, was honored  by AARP’s Social Impact Award as   “a simple mind-body-spirit program  for seniors, adults and teens of any faith, or no faith.”  It is an evidenced-based program that has been used in health care, worksite, education, faith-based and other settings.

About 90  percent of  over  3,000 workshop participants agree that  four Satisfaction Skills(illustrated above) and the Learning Poem (illustrated below)  can help them to :

  • stop stress, at least for a moment, before your hours of peacefulness grow into days of satisfaction
  • control chronic illness

forgive themselves, others or GodThe Learning Poem  (illustrated below as a writing prompt with the “Success and Satisfaction Journal”) is a universal  problem-solving proccess (Remember goals and check your signs.  Take some steps and learn each time) .

It can help seniors, adults and teens to focus on any specific medical, emotional, social or spiritual problem problem . When used in medical settings it also serves as the outline for a “patient-centered care plan.” (which is discussed in our related professional training program: Improving the Satisfaction and Outcomes of Care, as described below

During our four part workshops, participants are encouraged to use the Success and Satisfaction Journal to develop a personalized stress manageent plan, as well as to address one or more other issues (e.g., diabetes control, weight loss, forgiveness)

During the worksho and while journaling,  participants are also prompted to be aware of blinder-vision, use the Satisfaction Skills (awareness, appreciation, action acceptance) and consdier each peace of the Wellness Puzzle,  as illustrated below in this sample entry in the  “Success and Satisfaction Journal.” 

The Planning Poem (Start solving your puzzle. Get help when you can.  Use four steps to stop stress, then learn from your plan) is a reminder to focus on all the factors (i.e., emotional, physical, social, spiritual) that factors that can influence your health and happiness – not just the most immediate problem or an emergency.

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The core program consists of:

:- Less Stress, Better Health and More Love – a four part online workshop for seniors adults and teesn  (offereid in April, June and September

–Living Well: Improving the Satisfaction and Outcomes of Care — for professionals providing medical, emotional and spirituals care (to be piloted in June, with continuing education credit to be offered in October

Choices for Change – is an Internet service webpage and directory – powered by Eventbrite – that  offers ongoing, follow-up  support  through workshops, books, videos and discussion groups for a broad selection of  topics in twelve  areas, including the arts, spirituality, health and quantum science.

COLLABORATE… THEN  IMPROVE OUR CONTENT!

We use a collaborative model  in which participants from multiple organizations and  communities meet in our training sessions to learn from each other’s successes or stumbles, and suggest program improvements.

The Less Stress  Better Health and More Love workbook is available as a free download.  It is published  under a Creative Commons license, so anyone can republish or and use the graphics or content, without prior permission. Thus, the Living Well materials may be  incorporated into your own patient education program; Sunday sermons and/ or  other publications. 

INITIAL  WORKSHOP

The initial Less Stress, Better Health and More Love series (four  two-hour session for individuals, families and organizations) uses a   free workbook and a “Satisfaction Journal” (see above) to  develop and fine-tune  a  plan to solve each piece of your “Wellness Puzzle”.

    • You are encouraged to select the goals that are most important to  you AND identify friends and/or family who also might be interested  in learning with you (as illustrated below)
      • The “Satisfaction Journal” and an “Action Guides”  (used after each session) stimulates support  and discussion with family and friends
      • The use of music, mindfulness, movement, nature, nutrition, drawing  and social support are  explored.

THE SATSIFACTION SKILLS , YOUR  JOURNAL and the SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.

The  “Satisfaction Journal”  prompts you to  reflect  our core concepts (the Satisfaction Skills and the Learning Poem) as you learn what works  for you.   We strongly encourage you discuss  your progress with  friends, family and – especially  – with the  professionals who provide your  medical, emotional and spiritual care.      This encourages the development of patient-centered care plans that address the social determinants of health. 

The evaluations from dozens of faith-based groups who have participated   were similar to those who attended this workshop:

The Less Stress  Better Health and More Love workbook is available as a free download.  It is published  under a Creative Commons license, so anyone can include the graphics or content, without prior permission.  Thus, they may be  incorporated into your own patient education program; Sunday sermons and/ or  other publications. 

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Leadership Training  (four two-hour sessions) is available for those who wish to be certified to lead Living Well workshops .

  •  We use a collaborative model  in which participants from multiple organizations and  communities meet to learn from each other’s successes or stumbles, and suggest program improvements.

WELLNESS PARTNER TRAINING

  • Wellness Partner Training   will be offered for community professionals providing  medical, emotional and spiritual care, as well as benefit managers.    Professionals will learn to:

        • acheive Less Stress, Better Health and More Love for themselves
        • support their patients, clients and/or member  to acheive their wellness goals  by  discussing and coaching them  on  what they are tracking  (using the Learning Poem) on their “Satisfaction Journa;”
          • for the types of health (i.e., medical, emotional, spiritual) outside their particular area of expertise,  professionals would encourage  thier  patients, clients or members to  collaborate a relevant professional (e.g., a physician, counselor or minister) while using the  same process  (i.e. daily Satisfaction Journal entries) to  track goals, signs, steps and outcomes   

Choices for Change:     During the course of the above training sessions, participants will often hear, “If you’d like to learn more about (any topic) – or volunteer to make a difference –  visit “Choices for Change”  on our website for links to a related book or video, as  well as  website or organizations   

This follow-up program   provides ongoing support and education in twelve  areas, including the arts, spirituality, health and science.   You will also find  links to  the AARP volunteer portal  and other volunteer sites where you can  help to co-create a better world!