Increasing Community Capacity to Respond to Dementing Illnesses: Process Evaluation of the Community Outreach Education Program

Abstract

The goal of the Community Outreach Education Program(COEP) is to disseminate information about the diagnosis, assessment, management, and treatment of dementia to health care professionals, service providers, staff of community organizations and voluntary agencies, and family caregivers in four rural and two urban sites in Michigan. To accomplish this, outreach educational interventions based on a community-development model were developed in the Thumb Area, Upper Peninsula, Northeast Michigan, Mid-Michigan, Detroit, and Flint. The present study describes a process evaluation of the COEP in these six sites, using a multiple case study approach. Shared themes in the successful implementation of the on-site interventions and in creating community capacity across the varied sites are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Altman, D. G. (1995). Sustaining interventions in community systems: On the relationship between researchers and communities. Health Psychology, 14(6), 526-536.

Bracht, N. , Finnegan, J. R. , Rissel, C. , Weisbrod, R. , Gleason, J. , Corbett, J. , & Veblen-Mortenson, S. (1994). Community ownership and program continuation following a health demonstration project. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 9(2), 243-255.

Butterfoss, F. D. , Goodman, R. M. , & Wandersman, A. (1993). Community coalitions for prevention and health promotion. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 8(3), 315-330.

Clark, N. M. , & McLeroy, K. R. (1995). Creating capacity through health education: What we know and what we don't. Health Education Quarterly, 22(3), 273-289.

Connell, C. M , Kole, S. L. , Avey, H. , Benedict, C. J. , & Gilman, S. (1996). Attitudes about Alzheimer's disease and the dementia service delivery network among family caregivers and service providers in rural Michigan. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 11(3), 15-25.

Connell, C. M , Kole, S. L. , Benedict, C. J. , Holmes, S. B. , Gilman, S. , & Beane, G. E. (1994). Increasing coordination of the dementia service delivery network: Planning for the Community Outreach Education Program. The Gerontologist, 34(5), 700-706.

Fortinsky, R. H. , Leighton, A. , & Wasson, J. H. (1995). Primary care physician's diagnostic, management and referral practices for older persons and families affected by dementia. Research on Aging, 17(2), 124-148.

Freudenberg, N. , Eng, E. , Flay, B. , Parcel, G. , Rogers, T. ,& Wallerstein, N. (1995). Strengthening individual and community capacity to prevent disease and promote health: In search of relevant theories and principles. Health Education Quarterly, 22(3), 290-306.

Haley, W. E. , Clair, J. M. , & Saulsberry, K. (1993). Family caregiver satisfaction with medical care of their demented relatives. The Gerontologist, 32(2), 219-226.

10.

Israel, B. A. , Cummings, K. M. , Dignan, M. B. , Heaney, C. A. , Perales, D. P. , Simons-Morton, B. G. , & Zimmerman, M. A. (1995). Evaluation of health education programs: Current assessment and future directions. Health Education Quarterly, 22(3), 364-389.

11.

Marin, G. , Burhansstipanov, L. , Connell, C. M , Gielen, A. C. , Helitzer-Allen, D. , Lorig, K. , Morisky, D. E. , Tenney, M. , & Thomas, S. (1995). A research agenda for health education among underserved populations. Health Education Quarterly, 22(3), 346-363.

12.

Rubin, S. M. , Glasser, J. L. ,& Werckle, M. A. (1987). The examination of physician's awareness of dementing disorders. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 35(12), 1051-1058.

13.

Simons-Morton, B. G. , Green, W. A. , & Gottlieb, N. (1995). Health education and health promotion(2nd ed.). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.

14.

Steckler, A. , Dawson, L. , Israel, B. ,& Eng, E. (1993). Community health development: An overviewof theworks of Guy W. Steuart. Health Education Quarterly, Supplement 1, S3-S20.