Health Foundation of South Florida Offers $7.5 Million Grant for Healthy Aging Programs for Seniors

More than two million people retire annually and according to Steven E. Marcus, Ed.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Health Foundation of South Florida (HFSF), this number will jump to annual 3.5 million by the year 2050. “Our Healthy Aging initiative is designed to get on the front end of this Baby Boomer wave with the goal of helping seniors live independently,” said Marcus.

Health Foundation of South Florida sent out a letter of interest to several health agencies in Broward, Miami/Dade and Monroe Counties who want to improve the lives of South Florida’s aging population. The Healthy Aging Collaborative of South Florida is a new initiative kicking off this spring and is anticipated to last for at least five years. The initiative’s vision is for large proportions of older South Floridians to participate in low-cost, evidence based health promotion programs and enjoy the resulting benefits of better health, well-being and independence.

Currently, these evidence-based health promotion programs are offered throughout the country with remarkable success, but are scarcely offered here in South Florida. The programs endorsed by the CDC, the National Council on Aging, the Healthy Aging Research Network and the US Administration on Aging address what researchers have concluded to be the top threats to healthy aging. The Healthy Aging Collaborative of South Florida is the first comprehensive program of its kind to address all of these major health threats, which include: chronic illnesses, falls, depression and sedentary lifestyle.

Local agencies can apply for grant funding to offer programming in one or more of the following areas:

1) Chronic Disease Self Management
2) Matter of Balance (Fall Prevention)
3) Healthy Ideas is the intervention and prevention of depression in home bound seniors
4) Enhance Fitness to increase senior strength training and cardiovascular activity

The Foundation will form a regional leadership council of national, state and local healthcare and business professionals to oversee the grant and create a training academy to guide agencies in providing these programs. The council will develop, train and support a work force able to implement evidence based health programs to diverse populations in South Florida. The council will be called upon to market this project to create a culture of prevention and seek Medicare reimbursement for these services.

Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grant making foundation, is dedicated to expanding access to affordable, quality health care and providing funding that directly benefits the health and well being of underserved individuals in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation awarded more than $75 million in grants and direct program support.