| |
The HATS Manual -> The Program -> Goals
The overall goals of the Health Action Theatre for Seniors project are:
To improve the health conditions of seniors who lack English skills
and/or who have low literacy skills through increased problem-solving,
information-sharing, leadership, and strengthened social support networks.
To increase meaningful dialogue, increased awareness and community
action across Toronto regarding key health issues of concern for seniors
such as elder abuse, community safety, nutrition and consumer empowerment
with respect to health services.
To increase cross-cultural and intergenerational understanding of health
issues affecting seniors.
To develop and disseminate Action Theatre Training Sessions and Manual that
will facilitate the replication of Action Theatre initiatives across other
language groups and neighbourhoods.
To evaluate and further demonstrate the effectiveness of Action Theatre
as a tool for community learning (promoting exploration of issues that validate
and build upon personal experiences) and as a health promotion strategy for
reaching key at-risk groups.
The Health Action Theatre by Seniors (HATS) project emerged from the Elder Abuse
Prevention and Awareness Project at St. Christopher House. With previous experience
in delivering community programs, St. Chris seniors and staff understood that public
education that relies primarily on written and passive learning opportunities has
limited effectiveness in improving awareness and involvement of seniors with low
English language and/or literacy skills.
New learning strategies needed to be developed.
These strategies must be able to transcend linguistic and literacy barriers while
creating meaningful opportunities for information sharing, identification and problem
solving, leadership training and the strengthening of informal support networks.
The HATS process has been directed by the feedback given by participating seniors
and has involved several components throughout the years. These include raising
awareness of the issue of abuse and neglect of older persons to St. Christopher
House's senior participants (English, Portuguese and Vietnamese speaking), the
formation of support groups, peer support training, and public education targeting
seniors and the community at large.
|
