
Employing Technology to Promote Healthy Behaviors Among Seniors in Southwest Virginia

The Project
Mountain Empire Older Citizens (MEOC), a regional aging and public transit provider, is expanding access to nutrition, exercise, and health care services for older adults in three counties. Through in-person and telehealth platforms, MEOC will provide nutrition counseling, exercise programs, cancer education, and telehealth navigation to improve health outcomes. A registered dietitian and telehealth navigator will support these efforts, ensuring that older individuals receive personalized health guidance and access to care.
Work to be Conducted:
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Expand Telehealth Access – Train MEOC staff to serve as telehealth navigators, establish a permanent telehealth kiosk, and deploy two mobile platforms to bring health care services to underserved areas.
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Enhance Health Education – Offer cancer prevention workshops, chronic disease education, and telehealth support for follow-up care.
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Improve Nutrition Services – Hire a registered dietitian to provide group education and individual counseling, targeting those at high nutritional risk.
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Promote Fall Prevention & Wellness – Deliver at least 50 Bingocize sessions, combining exercise and health education to improve balance and mobility.
Goals to be Achieved:
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Increase Telehealth Utilization – Provide health care access through telehealth for a set number of older adults, tracking patient engagement and outcomes.
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Expand Health Outreach – Reach at least 100 individuals with cancer prevention and screening resources.
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Improve Nutrition & Wellness – Deliver nutritional counseling, group education, and distribute monthly health newsletters.
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Strengthen Community Support – Engage participants through exercise and health education programs to promote independence and well-being.
Healthy Appalachia Institute Next Steps:
As this program unfolds, we aim to better understand how leveraging telehealth and community-based programs might improve health care access, nutrition, and wellness for older adults in the region. By integrating technology with hands-on support, we wish to learn more and in what ways this approach could enhance health literacy and preventive care among older adults.
We invite you to revisit this page as this project
is updated and as the evaluation
of the project continues
Evidence from Across Appalachia
Embedding Lifestyle Interventions into Cancer Care via Telehealth
Advancing Telehealth In Rural Appalachia
Project Updates
November 2024 – January 2025
Telehealth Training & Implementation – MEOC staff received telehealth training, including a Best Practices Webinar and an Interprofessional Telehealth Training Program. The initiative was introduced at the Connections Senior Center Christmas Party, where informational flyers were distributed, and a pre-survey was completed. Telehealth equipment was received, set up, and inventoried. High-risk clients were contacted and offered services, and a spreadsheet was developed to document encounters. The initiative was also promoted on social media.​​
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Health & Nutrition Education – An Understanding Cancer workshop was scheduled for Summer 2025 and was planned to be broadcast live via Zoom to four congregate sites, with three sites accessing recordings. Pre- and post-tests were set to be administered. Ballad Health residents presented educational topics on chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and cancer to the Connections Senior Centers via Zoom in February and March as part of their Nutrition Department rotation. Lastly, an opportunity with the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP) was also planned to be offered via Zoom.
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Nutrition Services & Outreach – A part-time registered dietitian was hired, and nutrition education was scheduled quarterly. High-risk clients identified through the NSI screening process were contacted, and the first telehealth nutrition counseling session took place on February 27th. The Bingocize program was set to launch in March, with pre-and post-tests conducted before and after sessions. Monthly nutrition newsletters continued to be distributed, reaching approximately 800 home-delivered meal clients and 300 congregate site participants throughout December and January.