Reducing the Burden of Diabetes Among Older Adults: The Role of Screening

Objective:Increase awareness and use of the prevetive health benefits for diabetes screening offered by Medicare to older adults ages 65+  

Methods:A unique partnership between the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project and the National Council on Aging has been developed and implemented.  Together, these two groups have developed a practical tool kit for use by educators at senior-serving organizations across America, with instructions, materials, and ready-to-use Power Point presentations that address both members of the public (older adults), as well as other professionals that could deliver the information to older adults (a train-the-trainer methodology).  To date, three educational sessions have been held by NCOA and MDSP in three major markets -- Washington, DC, Chicago and Orlando -- each of which was attended by 80+ professionals from community-based organizations that serve seniors.

Results:Currently and over the course of the next 6 months, NCOA and MDSP staff will follow up with participants from the training sessions to evaluate usage of the tool kit and report process measures of number of presentations made and people reached.  Where possible, data will be gathered to assess any screening-related actions taken by older adults as a result of attending Medicare diabetes screening informational and educational sessions.

Conclusion:By training intermediaries in communties across the country, two national organizations (NCOA and MDSP) were able to increase their reach in a cost-effective way and multiply the impact of awareness efforts to reach older adults with important information about some Medicare benefits of which they might not be aware.