family focus Wellness Empowers Heartland= West Bloomfield JFS to expand healthful living program with free classes this fall. Presents W APPMECINGI011 EVEITG Sunday July 20, 2014 12:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m. Heartland West Bloomfield 6950 Farmington Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (on Farmington Road between 14 Mile & Maple Roads) We welcome patients, families, friends, employees and all members of the community to join us for a fun-filled afternoon to show our gratitude for your support over the years. Admission is free! 4.4.40'...•1 - photo booth - fire truck visit - petting zoo - - hot dogs - popcorn - nachos - ice-cream - - raffle - prizes - clowns - arts & crafts - 1926890 Get a jump start on the upcoming school year with our fast-paced summe programs... get ahead of the class! One-to-One Instruction • Grades K through 12 Programs: Math, Reading, Writing, Study Skills, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II THE TUTORING CENTER TM Empowering Children to Reach their Potential Birmingham 765 E. Maple Road 248-494-6225 O West Bloomfield 6247 Orchard Lake Road 248-432-728b www.tutoringcenter.com 1922220 Keep your company top of mind with our readers. 1111g ADVERTISE WITH US! CALL 248.351.5107 Visit theJEWISHNEWS.com 48 July 17 • 2014 iffi hen we think about what we toast to, what we want for those we love, it's more often than not a wish for good health and happiness. But while we express this hope for ourselves and our loved ones through our joyful L'Chaims, it's often not so simple to find motivation and take strides toward actual physical and mental well-being. Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that chronic diseases are the current leading cause of death and dis- ability in the United States. Diseases with a direct link to lifestyle risk fac- tors cause seven out of 10 deaths each year. The good news is that lifestyle is amendable. Disease prevention and management are often possible with a few reason- able life changes, and you don't have to make those changes alone! Jewish Family Service (JFS) seeks to strengthen lives through compas- sionate service, guided by the wis- dom of our Jewish traditions. That's our mission statement, and it's our ever-evolving goal through program- ing to support families and the com- munity. Each year, JFS serves people of all ages, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds through a variety of social services and mental health programs. We believe in a philoso- phy of individualized assistance that addresses the immediate concern of those needing help, while also con- sidering the needs and experiences of the whole person. With this approach and these values in mind, in 2010, JFS began a two-year wellness program for women identified as at risk for heart disease. The agency expanded on these efforts with a program to address the debilitating effects of diabetes in Southeastern Michigan. The resulting initiative, Wellness Empowers, was designed to help low- income adults with type 2 diabetes manage the challenges presented by their disease through healthy lifestyle choices. This program demonstrated that with proper education and related materials, even people who are struggling financially can learn to shop, eat and lead healthy lives in their neighborhoods and community. Many participants were able to lose weight, decrease smoking and sig- nificantly lower their blood sugar. One participant, who had diabe- tes and high blood pressure, lost 10 pounds over the course of the program, and for the first time in her life (with medical guidance and supervision of her doctor) reduced her medications for blood pressure. This participant felt encouraged and was able to become more active, eat healthful- ly and have more energy overall. Another participant, with the help of a pedom- eter provided by Wellness Empowers and his wellness coach's encouragement, now walks between 11,000 and 20,000 steps a day — that's more than 5 miles! This helped him make significant progress to sta- bilize his blood sugar levels. With a generous grant from the Sinai Medical Staff Foundation, Jewish Family Service is excited to introduce a new variation of Wellness Empowers. Building on the program's previous successes, JFS is offering a broader and more inclu- sive program to help community members address risk factors of all chronic illness, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity with free classes over the course of six months. Groups will meet with a wellness coach every other week and receive advice and resources for techniques for healthy living including cook- ing classes, fitness information and more. The program begins in September; interested community members are asked to enroll as soon as possible. Sessions will take place at Jewish Family Service's West Bloomfield location at 6555 W. Maple Road, as well as the Oak Park location at 25900 Greenfield Road, Suite 405. To enroll, or for more information, con- tact me at osemenova@jfsdetroit.org , or (248) 592-2662. ❑ Olga Semenova is the coordinator of the Wellness Empowers program at JFS.