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Project SIEN at Bexar
Area Agency on Aging
March 15, 2005 - This program has
been named as one of the 17 most outstanding in the U.S. by
the Administration of Aging.
 A
diabetes prevention program in the city of San Antonio,
Texas is taking the You Can! message to a group of Hispanic
seniors. Project SIEN (Seniors Involved in Exercise and
Nutrition) is a collaboration between the Bexar Area Agency
on Aging and key community partners. Together they provide
low-fat, reduced sugar meals along with instructor-led
exercise sessions to six nutrition sites two to three times
per week. Peer leaders identified at each nutrition site
also provide leadership and encouragement.
 Project
SIEN is modeled after interventions identified in the very
successful Diabetes Prevention Project national research
study. The Texas Diabetes Institute, a program of the local
hospital district, has proved to be a key partner in this
effort, identifying and screening the participants that are
at high risk for the onset of Type II diabetes and
conducting nutrition and health education classes. Other
key partners include the City of San Antonio Elderly and
Disabled Services Division, and OASIS.
Encouraged by the success of Project
SIEN, Bexar Area Agency on Aging is currently developing a
toolkit so that the program may be easily replicated in
other communities.
Partners are also achieving success
because of this collaboration. The Texas Diabetes Institute
has been able to expand its programs into the community,
which has led to collaboration in other areas, such as
medication management classes.
Program staff report that the
commitment of the senior center manager is crucial to
encouraging participation. It is the enthusiasm of program
participants, however, that has been key to the program’s
success.
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