Amy's Chat Room: health promotion programmes for community dwelling elderly adults.

Clinical nurse specialists in community health nursing promote wellness and quality of life in elderly adults who live within the community. Major health concerns including inappropriate knowledge of chronic diseases, improper eating habits and inadequate nutrition, lack of exercise, and poor social relationships among elderly adults residing in a government-supported apartment complex in north-eastern Ohio were identified using Neuman's Systems Model. 'Amy's Chat Room', a series of health education programmes on disease prevention, including appropriate nutrition and exercise, was developed and implemented based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED programme-planning model. Evaluation of the programmes indicated positive results for the older adults that increased their knowledge and awareness of disease prevention and modifications in lifestyle, and were encouraged to promote supportive relationships. Implications for clinical nurse specialist roles within community health nursing were discussed.