Page 4 - Spring 2015

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Local wellness programs
inspire positive change
in lives of participants
When the year 2008 rolled around for Patrick Brannon he had all indications that this was going to be a good year. At age 58, his partnership in a local construction company was becoming profitable following six years of hard work and long hours. He and wife Vicki were just beginning to reap the rewards of a more balanced life enriched with travel, hiking, biking, public speaking competitions and ballroom dancing. “Our plan was 100% on track, until the proverbial unthinkable happened,” Brannon said. During the afternoon of January 22nd, Brannon stepped out of his office to have a cigarette and suffered an acute stroke. “My successful world came crashing down,” he said.
Kate Lorig, DrPH, Professor Emeritus
Stanford Patient Education Research Center Director
His brain failed to recognize the left side of his body and it would take many arduous months of physical, occupational and speech therapy before Brannon was able to return home, only to face another hurdle – depression. Chronic illness and depression can go hand-in-hand and depression could also be
a precursor to chronic illness. It’s a double whammy that constantly works off one another, dragging their recipient down until both conditions are treated. This was the case with Brannon. “A La-Z-Boy® recliner and TV remote became my best friends. I really wasn’t seeing any light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
However, Brannon experienced a turning point in November of 2011 when he and Vicki discovered a program called Personal Action Toward Health (PATH), a six-week course designed for individuals with any type of chronic condition and/or their caregiver. It’s an evidence-based program that stems from Stanford University Patient Research Center’s Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP).
Kate Lorig, DrPH is Professor Emeritus and Stanford Patient Education Research Center Director at Stanford University School of Medicine. Back in the early 1990’s, she led a team of six professionals to develop CDSMP which is currently available in every state except Wyoming. This program, and many others offered through the Stanford Patient Research Center, was tested for effectiveness, usually through randomized, controlled trials that last one to four years. Stanford then licenses these programs out
to various organizations throughout the U.S. The Michigan Department of Community Health partnered
Patrick Brannon teaching a PATH class said, “I'm not sure I'd be here today without the PATH program.”
with the Office of Services to the Aging to contract Stanford’s CDSMP, which Michigan officials renamed PATH.
As a nurse with a doctorate in public health, Lorig stated, “What I find most encouraging about CDSMP is that it can have a real, lasting impact on people’s lives. Participants seem to be able to live better with chronic illness. They become more active and expe- rience fewer symptoms.”
That’s definitely true for Brannon. “I learned that there’s no reason why I can’t live a long and productive life,” he said and mentioned that through PATH he was able to view his situation from another perspective. He recalled, “At the first session participants describe their chronic condition and I was clearly feeling sorry for myself. But when I heard everyone else talking about their chronic conditions, I started paying attention to my behavior.” This was a game-changer for Brannon who was now willing to start making changes based on behaviors he realized were counterproductive. In one exercise, Brannon was able to link many of his issues to poor sleep. “Taking the PATH class and getting a good night’s rest clearly made me healthier,” he said.
Participants of PATH meet once a week for 2-1/2 hour sessions to cover content that, though not disease specific, examine topics such as problem solving, goal setting, symptom management, medications, working with a health care team, relaxation, stress reduction, healthy diet and exercise. Participants set achievable goals, create personal action plans, and engage in group activities such as problem-solving and brainstorming within an ideal group size of 10-16 participants facilitated by two trained leaders.