K21 Health Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to Cardinal Services for the purpose of providing health education classes to adults with intellectual disabilities.
According to the CDC, rates of good health and healthy lifestyle choices are far lower for those with a disability than for the general population. For instance in Indiana only 26 percent of people with a disability are considered to be in good or excellent health compared to 60 percent of those without a disability.
To combat this trend in our local community, Cardinal Services and K21 are working together to educate and empower people to make good choices. Body Talk is a program of the McMillen Center for Health Education in Fort Wayne. Their instructors are specially trained not only on content, but on the best practices in presenting information to this particular audience. Props, items students can take home, use and enjoy, short videos and other interactive tools made specifically for the developmentally disabled will help students integrate healthy practices into their own lives.
According to Cardinal CEO Jane Wear, many Cardinal clients set a goal to get more healthy in the new year, as do most Americans. This program is designed to help them reach that goal. The K21 grant allows Cardinal to provide 30 sessions in the areas of smoking, sexuality, personal hygiene and nutrition. Classes will begin in March and run through September of 2014.