The new Tarrant County Diabetes Information and Management Program is the only Texas program selected as a 2007 Choices for Independence Program Champion by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA). United Way of Tarrant County and the Tarrant County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) fund the program, which is administered by Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County.

The AoA selected a different “Champion” every day during May, which was Older Americans Month.

“The program’s first step is to identify elderly Meals On Wheels clients who have or are at risk for developing diabetes,” said AAA Director Don Smith. “Then the program provides them with education and support to help them manage their medical condition. We believe this project will help to reduce complications among those who already have the disease, allowing the homebound to remain independent longer. In situations where there is a high risk of developing diabetes, the program may be able to prevent or at least delay the onset of the disease.”

Meals On Wheels caseworkers screen all clients with the Diabetes Detection Initiative, a questionnaire used during home visits. The Meals On Wheels director of nutrition, a registered and licensed dietitian, reviews the questionnaires and encourages those with high risk factors to see their physicians for additional screening.

To date, screeners have found approximately 600 Meals On Wheels clients who have diabetes and another 600 or so who are at risk of developing diabetes in the future. All of these individuals receive specialized diabetes education.

The grant calls for Meals On Wheels to work more intensively with approximately 100 of these individuals who are over 65, agree to accept services and live in low-income, multi-ethnic neighborhoods of Diamond Hill, Haltom City, the near south side in Fort Worth and the Northside. These clients receive in-home assessments, education, equipment and supplies, if necessary, to improve self-management of their disease. Each receives a series of blood glucose level tests over a three-month period to determine whether the techniques are successful.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center, which is collaborating on the project, assigns medical personnel to conduct the blood tests in clients’ homes. Texas Christian University, another partner, assigns nutrition students to make visits to participating clients’ homes to explain diabetes dietary guidelines necessary to manage the disease.

Because diabetes can be genetic, and because families play a role in the nutrition and activities of the elderly, the program also addresses family members. In addition to learning about their relatives’ disease, families receive information to help them determine their own risk. Meals On Wheels provides diabetes educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as community diabetes seminars for family members.

The grant program began in November 2006 with a goal of screening 2,000 clients before the end of October 2007. By April 1, Meals On Wheels already had screened 1,926 individuals. More than 950 additional clients had received monthly educational materials.