200 Seniors Learn to Zumba and Get Free Health Screenings at Adamsville Rec.

The City of Atlanta hosted a diabetes screening luncheon Wednesday afternoon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Adamsville Recreation Center on Martin Luther King Junior Drive in Atlanta. More than 200 older adults from around the city attended and had the opportunity to ‘get a jump’ on their diabetes and participated in a free Zumba demonstration.

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) kicked off the first hour of the event by offering free diabetes screenings, allowing attendees to determine their risk for the disease. Afterwards, local leaders including Councilman C.T. Martin;  Maurice Madden, Georgia director of the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project; Sybil Freeman, director of corporate development at the American Diabetes Association; and Linda Vaughn, director of wellness initiatives at the Metro Atlanta YMCA discussed diabetes awareness and prevention. Vaughn closed the event with a basic and fun Zumba demonstration for all of the attendees.

Raising awareness about prediabetes and diabetes prevention is crucial, as more than 80,000 adults 65 or older in Metro Atlanta have prediabetes and most do not even know it. To help older adults in the area reduce their risk and raise awareness of the disease, local YMCAs in Metro Atlanta are launching a new program in collaboration with the Medicare Diabetes Screening Project.

The effort, known locally as the Get A Jump On Diabetes campaign, offers the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program to older adults in Metro Atlanta at no cost. The 16-session program helps participants learn simple lifestyle changes to reduce their risk for prediabetes. The disease develops when a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than normal and often leads to type 2 diabetes. In a classroom setting, trained coaches teach participants how to manage their blood glucose levels. Popular discussion topics include healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity on a busy schedule. Research has proven that by participating in the program, older adults can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 71 percent.

The first 200 qualifying individuals across Atlanta can participate in the program for free, thanks to scholarships provided by Novo Nordisk. To qualify, you must be 65 or older, overweight and prediabetic. A healthcare provider can determine eligibility by taking a quick blood test and body mass index (BMI) measurement.

For more information on how to get involved or to sign-up for the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, contact the YMCA of Metro Atlanta at (404) 527-7690 or visit www.GetAJumpOnDiabetes.org