The purpose is to describe a feasibility study of a skill-building intervention to
enhance health literacy about complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among older
rural adults and share lessons learned. A study was designed to examine the feasibility of
an intervention to enhance CAM health literacy. The theme was “Bee SAFE” for
Be a wise user of CAM, Safety, Amount,
From where, and Effect. Modules were presented face to face
and by webinar with older adults at a senior center in one small rural community. The team
achieved its purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating the intervention and
assessing if it could be implemented in a rural community. The implementation challenges
encountered and lessons learn are discussed. By improving CAM health literacy, older rural
adults with chronic health conditions can make well-reasoned decisions about using CAM for
health promotion and illness management. The goal is to implement the Bee SAFE
intervention in other rural communities; thus team members were attentive to lessons to be
learned before investing time, effort, and expense in the larger intervention. It is hoped
that the lessons learned can be instructive to others planning projects in rural
communities.
