Older Adult Behavioral Health and Well Being Field Specialist
Affiliated Faculty Member: Department of Occupational Therapy
UNH Center for Digital Health Innovation Fellow
Empower Yourself with Health and Wellness Education
Rural Health and Wellness Innovator
Hi, I'm Michele
I aspire to be innovative using digital technologies when developing and delivering health and wellness education to individuals and communities to transform lives. Two main priority areas are designing programs to empower participants with the knowledge and skills to enhance their well-being and to decrease social isolation. The second focus area is to conduct community based needs assessments to provide leadership and research to change policy and environment in health care systems.
Discover a New Path to Wellness
My mission is to provide innovative accessible and engaging adult education and support policy, systems and environments that promote holistic health and wellness for older adults. Let's embark on this journey together.
Developed by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, this evidence-based program is designed to help individuals learn and practice the most promising strategies for keeping their brain healthy as they age. I created an online course and offer in-person and virtual trainings.
The Wellness Wheel is a web-based tool and visual representation that assesses an individual’s perception of overall wellness. The Wellness Wheel assessment aims to improve overall quality of life and healthy habits through personal decision making with the integration of 8 important dimensions of wellness: emotional, financial, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.
Mental Health First Aid USA® is an 8-hour training to teach participants how to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it helps participants identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The course can be delivered online, in-person, or hybrid.
The partnership with UNH Center for Digital Health Innovation, UNH Extension and the local community has given me the opportunity for pioneering a new model for rural community telehealth hubs. In addition, I am conducting digital systems UX research and supporting UNH campus to community College of Health and Human Services student projects.
I currently co-teach Introduction to Telehealth for undergrad and grad students as well as engage in community research using virtual reality cognitive and physical therapy systems. I created a learning module for the professional certificate program about opportunities for healthcare systems using mixed realities.
My work focuses on the older adult population. NH is the second oldest population in the U.S. Older adults 65+ have increased by 40% in the last decade and that trend continues. Our Health and Well-Being team has developed a suite of programs to address priority aging plans in the state.