Taking Charge! Collaboration and community sustainability of a chronic disease self-management program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that in the United States chronic diseases are responsible for 70% of all deaths. Further, medical care costs associated with chronic disease are responsible for over 75% of the nation's $1.4 trillion in medical care costs. Developing a chronic disease can present many challenges, especially for older adults, and may result in years of pain, disability, loss of function, reduction of overall quality of life, and increased caregiver burden. The likelihood of developing a chronic disease such as arthritis or diabetes has been shown to increase with age. Nationally, older adults aged 60+ average 2 or more chronic diseases. Initiation of a chronic disease self-management program for older adults has the potential to reduce the impact of chronic disease(s) and provide tools necessary to prevent additional chronic diseases from occurring. “Taking Charge” is a six-week chronic disease self-management program implemented by the Sanford Center for Aging, University of Nevada Reno which was initially developed by Stanford University. Workshop and Leader training topics include: coping with frustration, pain, and fatigue; exercising to improve strength, flexibility and endurance; nutrition; and communicating with friends, family and health-care professionals. Collaborations with state, community and philanthropic partners were developed to provide resources necessary to conduct leader training for program sustainability as well as workshops for older adults with chronic conditions. We discuss issues surrounding collaborations, implementation, and sustainability of “Taking Charge” as well as qualitative findings from participants in both the leader training and workshops.