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About Us
About Senior Services (Seattle, WA)
About Project Enhance: A Brief History
1994 | 1996 | 1997
| 1999 | 2000
| 2001 | 2002
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
2006 | 2007
About Senior Services (Seattle, WA)
Senior Services (Seattle, WA), the
largest nonprofit social services agency in the State of Washington, was established
in 1967 with a mission to provide essential services that support
the independence of older adults.Today, a staff of over 6,300 volunteers and
250 employees oversees its operation and programs, including Project
Enhance. Support comes from
government funding, private and corporate donations, foundation
grants, and for the past 30 years, United Way.
Older adults are enjoying longer lives and
better health than ever before, and their numbers continue to grow
as baby boomers reach maturity. Their need for programs that enhance
health and fitness pose special challenges, which Senior Services
is eager to meet in its determination to lead the community it serves
toward a healthy, productive, and active future.
Senior Services is proud to make its award-winning
Enhance programs, EnhanceWellness and EnhanceFitness, available
to other organizations serving older adults throughout the United
States.
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About Project Enhance: A Brief History
Project Enhance has come a great distance
since its inception as the Senior Wellness Project in 1997.
Here are some of the milestones accomplished
along the way:
1994
- Lifetime Fitness Program (LFP—now
known as EnhanceFitness) research study conducted.
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1996
- Health Enhancement Program (HEP—now
known as EnhanceWellness) research study conducted at the
Northshore Senior Center.
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1997
- Senior Wellness Project (SWP) launched
with support from Aging and Disability Services of Seattle/King
County.
- Twelve Senior Wellness Project sites started
in King County, two in Snohomish County.
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1998
- Four sites started in King County,
four sites in Snohomish County, and two in Pierce County, WA.
- Health Mentor study results published in
Journal of Gerontological Nursing.
- Health Enhancement Program study published
in Journal of American Geriatrics Society.
- Lifetime Fitness Program study results
published in Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences.
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1999
- Two sites started in King County, one in
Snohomish County, WA.
- Senior Wellness Project received
awards:
- American Public Health Association
Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence in Program Innovation.
- National Institute of Senior
Centers Research Award goes to Northshore Senior Center.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant awarded
for implementation of SWP in four King County Housing Authority
buildings and Central Area Senior Center (Seattle, WA).
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2000
- New sites implemented in Sacramento, CA,
for research HEP study.
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2001
- New sites in Portage, MI, implemented.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant Awarded
for national dissemination and evaluation.
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2002
- New sites in Albany, NY; Portland, ME;
Chicago, IL; and Stockholm, Sweden.
- Results of a study of HEP, offered in a
variety of settings nationally, are published in Journal of
American Geriatrics Society.
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2003
- LFP received "One of Ten Exemplary
Physical Activity Programs for Seniors in the USA" Award
from the National Council on the Aging.
- New site at Senior HealthWISE, Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston, MA.
- LFP Train-the-Trainer Curriculum developed
and regional trainers trained, thanks to the Washington State
Department of Health.
- SWP awarded $100,000 by U.S. Administration
on Aging to determine how to strengthen capacity for expansion
of evidence-based programs.
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2004
- SWP selected as 2004 Best Practice in Health
Promotion by National Council on the Aging/Health Promotion Institute.
- SWP awarded $50,000 by U.S. Administration
on Aging to refine referral process between HEP and Group
Health Primary Care Clinics in Seattle.
- New sites in Revere, MA; Everett, WA; Houston,
TX; Charleston, SC.
- HEP selected as intervention for University
of Illinois-Chicago Employees Study.
- NCOA Diffusion of Innovation Survey completed
by senior centers in 4 states to determine readiness and capacity
to implement LFP and HEP.
- 20 LFP instructors trained in Beijing,
China.
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2005
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2006
- EnhanceFitness is featured in a live
satellite broadcast / web cast,
sponsored by the Arthritis Program of the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and produced by the Alabama
Department of Public Health.
- EnhanceFitness study results (The
effects of a community-based exercise program on function and
health in older adults)
are published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
- A winner of
the 2006 ICAA Industry Innovators Awards. The International
Council on Active Aging (ICAA) recognized Project Enhance — EnhanceFitness and EnhanceWellness — as one of North America’s six most innovative active aging
programs. This award recognizes cutting-edge active aging
programs as well as creativity and commitment to excellence of
the organizations that originated them.
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2007
- The US Administration on Aging (AoA)
asked Project Enhance to serve as the data collection management
site for the 24 states receiving AoA Choices funding for
implementing one or more of twelve different evidence-based
programs.
- The AoA selected Project Enhance as a 2007 Choices for
Independence Program Champion. As one of 20 Champions, Project
Enhance demonstrated the principles of the AoA strategy to
rebalance and modernize health and long-term care for older
persons and those with disabilities.
- Northwest Public Health featured Project Enhance in an article
that discusses the research-supported activities we offer for
the elderly to increase their exercise and improve their
physical and mental health.
- The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) featured
Project Enhance in an article that discusses the key lessons
learned in implementing EnhanceFitness and EnhanceWellness
successfully in community settings.
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(revised July 2008)
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