Improving access to online health education resources for older adults in underserved communities in Boston area

In light of the growing numbers of older adults in urban underserved communities and their increasing health concerns, the Community HealthCare Centers operated by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston area are pressed to come up with innovative strategies to meet the health education needs of older adults. We recognize that older adults are a particularly vulnerable population group whose wellbeing has a large impact on the overall health status of the community. National reports have found that older adults are among the fastest growing populations learning to go online. To turn this national trend into an opportunity for providing health education services to older adults, Access to Resources for Community Health (ARCH) Program, established by MGH Community Health Associates (CHA) in 2000, partnered with MGH Treadwell Library and local senior centers to implement ARCH Health Education Outreach Projects. These projects enabled the senior centers to upgrade their computer equipment and to collaborate with ARCH staff to provide health education services to older adults. These Outreach Projects have resulted in improved access among older adults to well-vetted online health education resources. This in turn has empowered them to become more informed health consumers with more knowledge and skills to help them manage health conditions and live a healthy life. Program evaluation reveals deep satisfaction for such health education services, improved health information seeking skills, as well as older adults' ability to reach out to their peers who also need health education resources for living a healthy life.