Research shows that participation in health promotion and wellness programs improves the average person’s quality of life and overall health, reduces medical care costs, and lowers mortality rates. Living Well with a Disability is a health promotion and wellness workshop designed specifically for anyone with a disability or physical limitation. As with the general population, people who complete the Living Well program report better health and quality of life even as they use fewer medical services.
The Living Well workshop is a ten week course grounded in consumer choice and peer support. It teaches people to use tools that help them continue or begin to do the things they enjoy. The healthier a person is, the more he or she can do. Living Well participants begin by developing goals that are meaningful to them. Then they make the connection between healthy behaviors and reaching their goals.
People who pursue meaningful goals are more likely to learn and practice skills for healthy living.
Living Well with a Disability helps participants articulate their goals and develop a plan to reach them. It emphasizes healthy lifestyle behavior changes as a way to remove barriers and increase opportunities. Participants have achieved a great variety of goals, including arranging transportation to access community resources, changing their living arrangements, getting new jobs, engaging in new social and recreational activities, and pursuing an education. In addition, Living Well participants may experience health benefits that include fewer health complications, increased physical activity, decreased stress levels, and improved mood.
- Project dates: 1995-Present
- Funded by: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Grant No. H133B030501, H133B70017-01; Centers for Disease Control Grant No. R04/CCR818823-01, R04/CCR914204, R04/CCR814162, U59/CCU821224-01, R04/CCR808519-03-1
- Principal staff: Craig Ravesloot, Ph.D., Tom Seekins, Ph.D., Catherine Ipsen, Ph.D., Glen White, Ph.D., T. Cahill, S. Lindgren, N.E. Nary, Steve Seninger, Ph.D., Colleen Murphy-Southwick, Ph.D., Quincy Robbin-Young, Ph.D., Kay Norris, Ph.D., Ann Szalda-Petree, PhD., Ken Golden, Juan Carlos Lopez, J. Steward
- Related projects:
- Consumer Self-Managed Use of Rural Healthcare Services
- Ecological Decision Support for Health Promotion
- Health Plans to Employment
- Independent Living Services and Participation
- Pain Interference Patterns
- Peer Support for Rural Mental Health
- Peer Support for Secondary Mental Health Conditions
- Secondary Conditions
- Working Well with a Disability
Links to Project Publications Available on UMScholarWorks:
- One-On-One Delivery of Living Well with a Disability 2014.
- Tele-Health Promotion for Rural People with Disabilities: Toward a Technology Assisted Peer Support Model 2007.
- Living Well and Medicaid: Better Health for Consumers–Lower Costs for States 2004.
- Living Well with a Disability: An Update 2004.
- A Cost-Effective Analysis of a Community-Based Health Promotion Program Intervention for Adults with Mobility Impairments: Living Well with a Disability 2003.
- Marketing Health Promotion for People with Disabilities 2003.
- Barriers and Best Practices; Marketing Health Promotion for People with Disabilities 2003.
- Living Well Could Save 31 Million Annually 2001.
- Readiness for Health Promotion 2000.
Links to Scholarly Articles and Abstracts:
- Living Well with a Disability, a Self-Management Program Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Feb. 12, 2016.
- A Financial Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Health Promotion Program for Individuals with Mobility Impairments Journal of Disability Policy Studies, April 2006.
- Health Promotion for People with Disabilities: Development and Evaluation of the Living Well with a Disability Program Health Education Research October 2006.
- Health Promotion for People with Chronic Illness and Physical Disabilities: The Connection Between Health Psychology and Disability Prevention Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 1998.
RTC:Rural News
- Feb. 7, 2017: “Living Well with a Disability featured in CDC awareness campaign.”
- March 16, 2017: “New Online Training Platform Enhances Living Well with a Disability Program.”
- July 27, 2017: “Living Well with a Disability Program featured in national webinar on Building Inclusive Programs.”
- Sept. 13, 2017: “Living Well Intro Webinar videos now available.”