Feature ArticleDissemination and Benefits of a Replicable Tai Chi and Qigong Program for Older Adults
Section snippets
Methods
This descriptive dissemination study used a standardized TCQG intervention, TCE, to train nonexpert practice leaders in conducting practice sessions with a target population of adults, aged 50 and older, in community settings, such as senior citizen centers, senior residences, YMCAs, hospitals and churches.
The assessment of dissemination was guided by the RE-AIM model. RE-AIM is ideal for application in field settings because much of the data collection involves counting observable behavior
Dissemination Assessment
It is estimated that 300+ potential practice leaders, or sites with potential practice leaders, received the invitation. Between 50 and 60 potential practice leader trainees responded (including site management inquiries as well as individual inquiries, some overlapping, making the exact number difficult to determine). After further communication about the degree of involvement and commitment, 18 practice leaders agreed to and completed the training. All were experienced in working with groups
Discussion
The goal of the NCOA initiative was to test a TCQG program that could be distributed widely, consistently, and with high levels of practice leader follow-through; result in high levels of course completion and adherence among participants; and result in participant perceptions of beneficial outcomes. In this plan for dissemination, then, the primary focus was on the simplicity (yet effectiveness) of the curriculum elements and the method of teaching this curriculum to nonexpert practice leaders
Conclusion
This study has demonstrated that TCQG, a not well understood and sometimes esoteric practice, can be translated into practical, simple, mindful steps, “Tai Chi Easy,” that retain the ancient wisdom of traditional Qigong and disseminate a beneficial program widely and for little cost. The standardized training for nonexpert practice leaders was effective as a first-level dissemination strategy within a framework of conventional health care and social service settings, resulting in enthusiastic
Acknowledgment
The National Council on Aging provided funds for this project.
ROGER A. JAHNKE, OMD, Founder and Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, Santa Barbara, CA.
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Cited by (0)
ROGER A. JAHNKE, OMD, Founder and Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, Santa Barbara, CA.
LINDA K. LARKEY, PhD, is the Scottsdale Healthcare Professor of Biobehavioral Oncology Research at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Phoenix, AZ.
CAROL ROGERS, APRN-BC, CNOR, PhD., is a Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence Post-Doctoral Fellow from the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Phoenix, AZ.