TOPIC: Personal Growth (mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually)

Section 9: Sustainability of Outcomes INDIANA WESLEYAN NON-RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION UNIVERSITY Measures I will put in place during the project to increase the likelihood that my expected outcomes will continue to be met after the project is completed: . At each of our meetings, both my co-facilitator and I will make note of two or three group members who participated well in the discussion and two to three who seemed disengaged on any given session. We will make an effort to get feedback from each of these group members on the following points: How do you feel this group is helping you to feel more hopeful, to feel supported in your struggles, and to move into the challenges of aging with more optimism? How has this group improved your relationships? What is one thing you would change to make the group better? . We will try to catch these people immediately after each group to get this feedback. My co-facilitator and I will then meet after each meeting to share this feedback with one another and adjust the upcoming agenda as needed with this feedback in mind. How I will ensure the project and its outcomes are sustained as they relate to the organization’s overall strategic plan: . At the start of the project I would meet with the director of community services and explain my desire to jump-start these discussion groups at the facility with the intention of them continuing after the capstone project is completed and my direct involvement has stopped. I would get an assessment from the director of their degree of interest in sustaining expected outcomes and putting a plan in place to see those outcomes realized by the end of the project. Resources I will provide the organization at the end of my project to optimize the continuation of my work: . By the end of the five weeks that correspond with the capstone project, I will attempt to recruit at least two individuals from the retirement community to become rotating co- facilitators with the designated staff person at Wilshire. Recruitment of these individuals would be based on evidence of sincere interest in the group’s purpose and the primary focus on learning to adapt to challenges associated with aging. These individuals would have to have attended at least one meeting each week and participated actively in the discussions to qualify as a candidate. On the final week of the capstone project I would explain to the group my plans for transitioning out, introduce the new co-facilitators, and emphasize the importance of continuing the group after my departure. . I also would develop an updated summary of my best practices for older adult support/discussion groups from both my research and what my co-facilitator and I learned from weekly feedback from group participants. My hope would be that the new facilitators(s) could use this tool as a guide for continuing the discussions