Scott’s Run Settlement
House
Ayo Adelanwa and Leah Gecheo
Mission Statement
• Scott’s Run Settlement House mission (SRSH) is
“A place to turn to for Christian care of
individual, family, and community needs.”
• SRSH was founded in 1922 in Osage, WV by the
Woman’s Home Missionary Society
– Osage: was a poor mining community with poor
health care and sub-standard education.
– SRSH has been “a place to turn to” for spiritual
education, health services, and recreation for the
people of Osage and its surrounding communities.
Introduction of the agency
Nonprofit social service agency.
 offers free and low cost services to at risk and low
income clients in Monongalia county area.
programs at SRSH ;
Child development center,
housing rehabilitation
 seasonal activities,
emergency assistance food pantry
 senior citizen center.
Offered Programs
• Emergency Assistance Food Pantry
• In operation since 1980
• Provides quality food such as bread, canned
goods, meat and produce, along with personal
care items and cleaning products
• Serves anyone in need
• Provides 2 week supply of food
Senior Programs
• Seniors-on-the-Run
– Promotes health, wellness, nutrition and
recreation among seniors
• Senior Covered Dish Luncheon
– Monthly opportunity for seniors to socialize at a
covered dish luncheon
• Relative As Parents Program
– Provides education and support to grandparents
and relatives raising other relatives’ children
Volunteering at Scott’s Run
• Volunteer work at the agency
– Senior Citizens center
– Child Development center
• Needs of the agency
– Seniors are not familiar with:
• Reading Food labels for Sodium content
of foods
• Preparing nutritious and healthy lowbudget meals with pantry items
Project design
• First meeting with supervisor and the
discussion of the projects
• Modified the project according to the
supervisor’s program priority
– Educating senior citizens on why and how to
lower sodium intake
Seniors lowering Salt
intake For better
health.
Ayo Adelanwa and Leah Gecheo
Salt?
Salt goes by different names such as:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Kosher salt
Table salt
Sea salt
Sodium chloride
Whatever name, shape or form salt is in, Salt
is still salt and in excess it is bad for your
health!
Why too much salt is bad for you?
• The Center for disease control (CDC) advises
that consuming too much salt can increase
your blood pressure
• Too much salt in your diet can also increase
your risk for a heart attack or stroke
• High salt intake can increase your risk for
kidney failure and early death
Sodium and Blood Pressure
• Blood pressure increases with high salt intake
• High salt intake results in fluid retention which
causes an increase in blood volume
Hypertension (HTN)
• Optimal BP: less than 120/80 mm Hg
• Hypertension
– Sustained systolic pressure >139mm Hg or
diastolic pressure >89 mm Hg
• High salt intake associated with high blood
pressure (CDC)
Why Control Blood Pressure?
• Silent disease
• To prevent
– Cardiovascular disease
– Poor circulation
– Kidney disease
– Stroke, decline in brain functions
• African Americans most at risk
Food Label
Sodium content
>20% is high
Macaroni and Cheese
Lunch meats
Ham
Corned beef
Canned foods
Bertolli Frozen Meal, Dinner for Two
Cut down on salt intake by:
• Eating out less frequently
• Avoiding as much as possible all pre-packaged and frozen
meals
• Eating more fruits and vegetables
• Buying reduced sodium products
• Reading nutritional food labels for sodium content while
grocery shopping
• Avoiding processed meats like bacon and lunch meats
• Substituting fresh herbs or pepper for salt
• Using salt sparingly while cooking or eating
• If at a restaurant, asking for the nutritional information facts
that include sodium
Feedback
• The seniors liked our presentation because it
applied to them as well as made sense to
them.
• They were very receptive to the message and
were willing to make changes to lower their
sodium intake.
• Leah and I gave them nutritional handouts to
help reinforce the message after the
presentation.
Feedback
• Based on the response of the seniors and the
coordinator, we believe that the program was
a success.
• Upon our final meeting with the coordinator
of programs at Scott’s Run, Lisa Mcmorrow
expressed how impressed she was with the
presentation and the nutritional handout.
• She thought it was a success!!!