| The purpose of this study was to evaluate the participant-rated effectiveness of the implementation of a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program by gerontology students. Specifically, this study investigated the effectiveness of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program when gerontology students versus peer community volunteers facilitated elderly clients in the workshop. More specifically, the study attempted to understand the effectiveness of peer community volunteer-led versus gerontology student-led sessions by analyzing responses to 4 questions on a post-workshop survey (post-test) including participant opinions about the level at which facilitators were informative and caring, the usefulness of information to save participants visits to their physician, the amount of information learned and improvements in health.;The sample for this study included 150 participants of a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program that was facilitated by a peer community volunteer or a gerontology student. This study involved a secondary data analysis from a post-test given to the participants.;Based on participant-rated effectiveness, peer community volunteers were rated as more effective than gerontology students in regards to teaching participants how to better manage their chronic illness. Results also concluded that participants rated peer community volunteers as more informative and caring than gerontology students. Recommendations for future research were discussed. |
