Reaching Isolated Rural Elderly

Extension agents in two Maryland counties piloted a program guide, "Nutrition Education and the Rural Elderly," developed at the University of Missouri National Center of Extension Gerontology. The guide provides 12 camera-ready newsletters that can be easily adapted by senior volunteers who play major roles in writing, compiling, reproducing, and distributing the newsletters. The goal is to help seniors remain independent with a high quality life. Articles encourage them to develop good nutritional and fitness habits and avoid malnutrition and social isolation. The pilots tested the feasibility of getting the newsletter to isolated elderly with a cadre of senior volunteers using a cut-and-paste technique.

The Somerset County mailing list for "Triple E News: Eat, Exercise, Extend Your Life" grew from 245 to 789 in 12 months. Four senior volunteers worked in four different sections of the counties to locate hard-to-reach elders. Newsletters were distributed during a time in the month when seniors received little mail.

"Food and Fitness Facts" in Wicomico County began with a mailing list of 300 that it grew to 485 by the end of 1989. Seventeen senior volunteers were involved in the preparation, publicity, mailing list development, dissemination, and six-month evaluation. A seven-member advisory council met quarterly.

Evaluation indicated seniors were interested in good nutrition and physical fitness. They shared newsletters with friends and neighbors and looked forward to recipes for small servings. The exercise section was very popular. When the newsletters were late, agents would get eager calls about their newsletters.

We found that when seniors were involved in the planning, development, and dissemination process, the program became theirs and they became the goodwill ambassadors for Extension. They had the compassion, energy, and spirit to locate the lonely and difficult-to-reach seniors in isolated parts of the community.