Until now, older Americans have not been provided the skills and information they need to ensure that their homes are as healthy as possible.

Recognizing this information gap, Environmental Health Watch, Cleveland Tenants Organization, and the Alliance for Healthy Homes undertook a project in 2005 to provide information and peer-to-peer training to improve seniors' indoor environments. The result of the project is a curriculum intended to help healthy homes advocates, practitioners, and others educate older Americans about indoor environmental health, especially as it impacts respiratory health.

This curriculum is designed for ease of use and to allow older Americans to in turn educate their peers about indoor environmental health issues like mold and moisture, pests and pesticides, and maintaining lead-safe homes for those seniors with young grandchildren.

The curriculum includes a PowerPoint presentation, an easy-to-read fact sheet on cockroach control, pre- and post-training surveys to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum, prompt cards for older Americans to use in their homes and with their peers, and an evaluation form.

For more information, log onto Environmental Health Watch.

posted May 16, 2006