The Healthy Living Program promotes the health and well-being of the Cambodian community in Greater Lowell, with a particular focus on older adults. Through culturally and linguistically responsive programs and services, the program helps participants overcome language and cultural barriers, improve their physical and mental health, build meaningful social connections, and access health information and community resources. The program also promotes healthy aging through preventive health education, including chronic disease self-management, nutrition, problem gambling prevention, and substance use prevention. By bringing older adults and youth together, the program preserves Cambodian culture, traditions, and language while strengthening relationships across generations.
Our Key Services
What We Do
The Healthy Living Program strives to:
- Promote healthy aging through health education, wellness activities, and preventive care.
- Reduce social isolation by creating opportunities for older adults to build friendships and stay engaged in their community.
- Improve access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health information and community resources.
- Empower participants to better manage chronic conditions through diabetes self-management education, nutrition education, and other health promotion programs.
- Increase awareness of problem gambling and substance use while reducing stigma and connecting individuals and families to support services.
- Foster intergenerational relationships by engaging youth and older adults in shared cultural experiences that preserve Cambodian traditions, language, cooking, storytelling, and community values.
Program Impact
The Healthy Living Program empowers older adults to remain active, healthy, and connected while improving their overall quality of life. Participants strengthen their physical and mental well-being, gain confidence in managing chronic health conditions, increase their knowledge of healthy lifestyles, and build lasting friendships that reduce loneliness and social isolation.
By providing culturally and linguistically appropriate education, the program also helps community members recognize the risks of problem gambling and substance use, make informed decisions, reduce stigma, and access support services when needed.
Equally important, the program creates meaningful opportunities for youth and older adults to learn from one another. Through shared activities such as “ចែករំលែក – Sharing”, gardening, traditional Khmer cooking, and cultural celebrations, younger generations gain a deeper appreciation of Cambodian history, traditions, and values, while older adults strengthen their sense of purpose and belonging. Together, these connections preserve cultural heritage, bridge language gaps between generations, and build a healthier, more connected community.
For more information:
Email: HealthyLiving@cmaalowell.org or call CMAA at 978-454-6200