Promoting elder wellness through a community-based blood pressure clinic

As the American population ages, we can expect to find greater numbers of older adults with chronic diseases and health concerns. Therefore the implementation of communitybased blood pressure clinics that promote elder wellness becomes increasingly important. This article will describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-focused elder wellness program in a rural community using Anderson and McFarlane's (1996) Community-as-Partner model as a theoretical framework for community health nursing practice. Evaluation results of the elder wellness program suggest that blood pressure screenings provide community health nurses (CHNs) with unique opportunities to promote wellness in older adults when provided in an atmosphere that encourages nurse-client interactions.