Strengthening, Engaging, and Empowering Dyads Through Nutrition & Wellness

One English speaking and one Spanish Speaking cohort of patient-care partner dyads to participate in the Plant Powered Metro NY (PPMNY) Food for Life class series will be recruited. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's award-winning Food for Life (FFL) classes are 2 hours and include 1 hour of education and 1 full hour of a culinary demonstration. All participants receive printed program guidebooks with resources and recipes. Each language specific cohort will have (15 in-person dyads) for a total of 30 participant-care partner dyads (N=60). Two care partner roundtable sessions will also be included at week 3 and week 6. Classes will be held in a convenient location in the Bronx, NY. Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) has previously provided space for similar activities. Older adults (≥65) with diabetes and cognitive impairment (CI) and their care partners from the Montefiore Hudson Valley Center of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease (CEAD) will primarily be recruited. The Montefiore CEAD is one of ten CEADs supported in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Health and provides outpatient-based multispecialty dementia care utilizing a consultative model. The patient population largely originates from Bronx County and seven counties in the Hudson Valley region: Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster. The overall Montefiore CEAD patient population is diverse, with \>40% of patients Non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Aim 1: A mixed methods approach to assess the implementation of the SEED intervention in a diverse, older adult cohort will be used. Qualitative: At the end of the FFL class series (or at time prior if patient decides to drop out), debriefing interviews with all participant-care partner dyads will be provided to gather qualitative feedback. After both English and Spanish cohorts have completed the class series, a stakeholder studio with the PPMNY FFL facilitators and CEAD team will be conducted. Aim 2: The primary goal is to determine the preliminary efficacy of dyad focused FFL class series on FV intake, diabetes self-efficacy and management in 30 participant/care partner dyads (N=60). Participants will be recruited from the Montefiore Hudson Valley CEAD clinic sites including the Geriatrics Ambulatory Practice, Bronx, NY and the Center for the Aging Brain, Yonkers NY. Screening and consent will take place by phone.