(PHOENIX, AZ – July 31, 2009) — In an effort to help children better understand the elder adults in their lives, SCAN Health Plan Arizona provided its Trading AgesTM senior-sensitivity training to 120 children at the Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale yesterday.
The award-winning Trading AgesTM program, presented as part of a comprehensive summer camp program about health and nutrition, allowed participants to literally “walk in the shoes of a senior” through a series of hands-on activities and sensory-perception education. More than 750 children are expected to participate in this program throughout the week at other Boys & Girls Club branch locations. Participants wore glasses that simulate glaucoma and macular degeneration, used earplugs to experience hearing loss, and put popcorn kernels in their shoes to demonstrate the foot pain that can come with age. At the conclusion of the program, children were asked to identify things they can do to be helpful to an older person.
“As a health plan focused exclusively on the needs of seniors, SCAN Health Plan is always looking for new ways to improve the lives of seniors,” said Tom Lescault, president of SCAN Health Plan Arizona. “Trading AgesTM is a wonderful opportunity to help younger people be more compassionate and understanding of the challenges seniors face as they age,” said Lescault. SCAN intends to offer the programs to local public schools throughout the year.
“SCAN’s Trading AgesTM program is a nice complement to the other summer camp workshops this year,” said Steve Davidson, president/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. “The children really enjoyed participating in the workshops and gained insight that I hope will positively influence them for the rest of their lives.”
About SCAN Health Plan
For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of people with Medicare and today is the fourth-largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage Plan in the United States. The company currently serves 110,000 members in Southern California. In Arizona it offers a Medicare Advantage Plan in Maricopa County and provides long-term care services to individuals in that county who are enrolled in the state’s long-term care system. Further information may be obtained at scanhealthplan.com.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
Since 1954, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale has provided more than 100,000 Northeast Valley youth with a positive, supervised environment to explore the power of their potential. Today we serve 16,000 children and teens through the organization’s nine branches and 12 outreach sites located in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Hualapai Indian Community and other Northeast Valley neighborhoods. The Club offers more than 100 youth development programs emphasizing five core areas: the arts; character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; and sports, fitness and recreation. For more information please visit bgcs.org.