IL Pathways to Health’s Evidence-Based Programs

A Matter of Balance

A Matter of Balance is an award-winning program designed for older adults to manage falls and increase activity levels. Two trained coaches guide participants through learning and activities that emphasize strategies to reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults. Participants show improved balance, flexibility and strength while viewing falls as controllable.

Bingocize®

Bingocize combines a bingo-like game with exercise and health education. The program has been shown to increase older adults' functional fitness, health knowledge, and social engagement.

Fit & Strong

Fit & Strong! is a community-based, physical activity program for older adults. As a multi-component, evidence-based program, Fit & Strong! uses flexibility and strength training, aerobic walking, and health education to promote behavior change in people with osteoarthritis.

Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention

Tai Chi is an enjoyable exercise that can improve balance, relieve pain, and improve health and ability to do things. It is a slow exercise. It is easy to learn and good for all ability levels. The essential principles of Tai Chi include mind and body integration, fluid movements, controlled breathing and mental concentration. Tai Chi is one of the most effective exercises for the health of mind and body. It helps people to relax and feel better.

Walk With Ease

The Walk With Ease program has been demonstrated to reduces pain, increases balance and strength and improves your overall health. The program will help motivate you to get in great shape and allow you to walk safely and comfortably. The Walk With Ease program is offered as a self-guided course or in a community setting. Choose the format that best suits you.

Aging Mastery Program

The Aging Mastery Program® (AMP) informs, encourages, and supports you in taking steps to improve your life and engage in your community. The program empowers you to make and maintain small but impactful changes. It incorporates evidence-informed materials, expert speakers, group discussion, peer support, and small rewards to build skills and tools to manage your health, maintain economic security, and contribute in society. AMP offers 10 core sessions, each 90 minutes in length. Developed by the National Council on Aging.

Cancer: Thriving and Surviving

Cancer: Thriving and Surviving is a 6-week interactive workshop for cancer survivors. The sessions are highly participative where mutual support and success builds confidence in your ability to manage your health and maintain an active and fulfilling life. Participants learn skills to help address concerns such as the fear of recurrence, fatigue, pain, nutrition and more. The program is open to people with cancer, survivors, family, friends, and caregivers.

Take Charge of Your Health: Chronic Conditions

Take Charge of Your Health: Chronic Conditions is designed to improve the self-management skills of people living with ongoing health issues. Conditions like arthritis, mental health conditions, chronic pain, cancer, or diabetes can cause those affected to lose physical conditioning and suffer health problems over many years. This program teaches new strategies that will give participants the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with a chronic health condition.

Take Charge of Your Diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes attend the class in groups of 12-16. Classes are facilitated from a highly detailed manual by two trained Leaders, one or both of whom are peer leaders with diabetes themselves. Participants will make weekly action plans, share experiences, and help each other solve problems they encounter in creating and carrying out their self-management program. Physicians, diabetes educators, dietitians, and other health professionals both at Stanford and in the community, have reviewed all materials in the class.

Take Charge of Your Pain

Chronic Pain Self-Management is a group class designed to help participants live a healthy life with chronic pain by managing their symptoms. This program teaches new strategies that will give participants the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with chronic pain. Classes are highly participative, where mutual support and success build the participants' confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives.

Tomando Control de su Salud

This is the Spanish version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program that was designed in Spanish for Spanish - speakers. It is designed to improve the self - management skills of people living with ongoing health issues. Conditions like arthritis, mental health conditions, chronic pain, cancer, or diabetes can cause those affected to lose physical conditioning and suffer health problems over many years. This program teaches new strategies that will give participants the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with a chronic health condition.

Tomando Control de su Diabetes

This is the Spanish version of the Diabetes Self-Management Program that was designed in Spanish for Spanish - speakers. People with type 2 diabetes attend the class in groups of 12-16. Classes are facilitated from a highly detailed manual by two trained Leaders, one or both of whom are peer leaders with diabetes themselves. Participants will make weekly action plans, share experiences, and help each other solve problems they encounter in creating and carrying out their self-management program. Physicians, diabetes educators, dietitians, and other health professionals both at Stanford and in the community, have reviewed all materials in the class.

Workplace Chronic Disease Self-Management

Workplace Take Charge of Your Health is an interactive workshop for employed people living with one or more physical or mental health chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, depression, etc. Participants learn the skills to manage their conditions on a day to day basis: balancing work and home life, exercise, healthy eating, symptom management (pain, fatigue, sleep, shortness of breath, stress and depression), weight loss, and communication skills.

Social Connect

Social Connect is a facilitated, small group online gathering. In the 45-minute sessions, you'll do gentle movements, learn about ways to reduce stress and feel your best, and connect with others. Managing stress and taking time to notice and reflect upon positive experiences will help you feel more alive, sleep better, be more compassionate, and even have a more robust immune system. Social Connect is not an evidence-based program.

Active Choices

Active Choices is an evidence-based health behavior change program developed by a team of behavioral scientists at the Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC), Stanford University School of Medicine, with the input of experts in the areas of Medicine, Public Health, Exercise Science, Nutritional Science, and Psychology. The Active Choices program is facilitated by a trained peer mentor who provides individually-tailored, personalized exercise advice, counseling, and goals for older adults of all ages, and at all levels of physical fitness and personal motivation.

Diabetes Prevention Program

The Diabetes Prevention Program is for people who want to avoid type 2 diabetes. It uses a curriculum developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and cuts your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half. The program helps you make lasting changes, such as eating healthier, adding physical activity into your daily routine, and reducing stress.

Savvy Caregiver

The Savvy Caregiver Workshop is a six week training series for informal caregivers. For most family caregivers, caregiving itself is a new role, one for which training is needed, just as a person would receive training for any new job. The Savvy Caregiver Program helps caregivers better understand the changes their loved ones are experiencing, and how to best provide individualized care for their care recipients throughout the progression of Alzheimer's or dementia.

Stress Busting for Family Caregivers

Stress Busting for Family Caregivers is a nine-week evidence based program that teaches caregivers many new skills, including information about the disease process, stress management techniques, and a variety of other content. The program is designed to improve the quality of life for family caregivers who provide care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers - for caregivers of adults with chronic conditions

Powerful Tools for Caregivers® helps family and friends caring for older adults with long-term health conditions develop the skills and confidence to better care for themselves while caring for others. The weekly topics range from reducing your stress to communicating in challenging situation and mastering caregiving decisions.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers - for caregivers of children with special health and behavioral needs

Powerful Tools for Caregivers: Children Curriculum is adapted from the original PTC program and is designed to support a parent or parents who are caring for a child of any age (minor or adult) who has special health or behavioral needs. The program gives you the skills to take care of yourself while caring for someone else while focusing on the unique challenges of parents caring for a child of any age with health or behavior challenges. By taking care of your own health and well-being, you become a better caregiver.