Jordan Loves Healthy Living!

Jordan is a 21-year-old Entrust client who lives at the Den house, a residential care facility. Jordan has lived at Den for a few years. During that time, Entrust staff has developed a strong therapeutic bond with him. This relationship has helped staff earn his trust and helped him feel loved and supported. Since coming to Entrust, Jordan has been dealing with weight-related health issues.

Jordan's Personalized Health and Wellness Plan

About a year-and-a-half ago, the staff at Den ― with help from Framework for Life program staff ― put a comprehensive health plan in motion to help Jordan achieve better wellness. The Framework for Life program specializes in creating individualized wellness strategies for clients with disabilities. We started with small, manageable changes to Jordan's daily diet, such as:

• Reducing portion size through controlled meal planning
• Incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables in his meals and snacks to increase nutritional value
• Reducing his juice intake by replacing high-sugar juice with water for better hydration
• Removing all high-calorie and sugary snacks from his diet to eliminate empty calories

Jordan's Daily Physical Activity and Exercise Routine

We also began helping Jordan stay physically active through structured exercise programs. For example, we take him for daily walks as part of his cardiovascular fitness routine. When we started our walking program, we would take a short 15-minute stroll around the neighborhood. Now Jordan has progressed to two 45-minute walks a day, showing significant improvement in his endurance and stamina.

We encourage Jordan to participate in small household chores as functional exercise activities. For example, he helps with laundry every day. This daily task makes him go up and down the stairs, which provides additional physical activity and builds leg strength.

Jordan also does daily stretching exercises with Den staff to improve his flexibility and mobility. He uses the cross-training machine we have at the house for cardiovascular and strength-building workouts.

Positive Health and Behavioral Outcomes from Jordan's Wellness Program

These small but consistent lifestyle changes have had a significant positive impact on Jordan's health and wellbeing. The improvements span both physical health and behavioral development:

• He wakes up easily in the morning and shows improved sleep patterns (he used to refuse to get out of bed)
• He no longer experiences daytime incontinence issues and wets the bed at night less often, showing improved bladder control
• He has started to enjoy soft music and nursery rhymes, demonstrating increased sensory engagement
• He shows more affection and social connection by wishing staff "hello" and "goodbye" consistently
• He is much happier overall and displays much more confidence in daily activities
• He is more patient during activities and his listening skills have improved significantly. He can follow simple instructions from staff while exercising and dancing, showing better cognitive processing.

Jordan's healthy, active lifestyle transformation has brought happiness and satisfaction to both him and the care team at Den. His progress demonstrates the effectiveness of individualized wellness programs for clients with disabilities. Way to go, Jordan!

Jordan Loves Healthy Living!