Toward psychosocial health in age-friendly communities: The fountain of health peer-led education series

Background The Fountain of Health (FoH) Initiative translates evidence-based science of brain health and resilience to the public with the goal of increasing awareness about optimal aging and promoting positive self-perceptions of aging, as well as preventing dementia, late life mental illnesses and supporting psychological health and development later in life, in alignment with Age-Friendly Communities principles. Methods This was an observational study. Five peer-led education series about brain health and resilience were offered to community-dwelling seniors in Nova Scotia, Canada. Each series lasted six weeks, 90-minutes per session. Outcome measures included a pre and post quality assurance self-report questionnaire for group participants, and a self-report questionnaire completed by group facilitators. Results Fifty-one participants attended six group sessions run in five different series. All (100%) completed the pre- and 27 (52.9%) the post-series questionnaire. Highly significant (p<0.001) improvements in knowledge of the FoH, application of FoH information, and knowledge of evidence-based lifestyle interventions were observed. There was also significant (p<0.05) improvement in attitudes toward aging, knowledge on the impact of genetics on longevity, and increased confidence in goal setting ability. Conclusions The FoH peer-led educational series appears to be a useful health promotion program aligned with Age Friendly Communities. Larger studies are needed to further assess the impact of such an approach on behavior change and long-term impacts on longevity and quality of life.