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Prescribe fitness to help your Medicare Advantage patients prevent or control type 2 diabetes

December 28, 2018

More than 25 percent of Americans age 65 and older have type 2 diabetes — that’s 12 million people.1 An additional 23.1 million have prediabetes,2 increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes, as well as other health problems such as heart disease and stroke.3 Chances are, many of your older patients fall into those statistics. Now you can “prescribe” an award-winning fitness program to help them feel better, have more energy, stay independent, and reduce their risk for or manage type 2 diabetes.

SilverSneakers®

SilverSneakers is the nation’s leading fitness program for seniors and is free to our Independence Medicare Advantage members. SilverSneakers membership includes:

  • trained instructors who specialize in senior fitness;
  • group classes designed for all levels and abilities;*
  • fitness articles, recipes and meal plans;
  • an active and supportive online community;
  • access to thousands of fitness locations nationwide;
  • weights, pools, cardio-equipment access (varies by location);
  • SilverSneakers On-Demand workout videos plus health and nutrition tips;
  • the SilverSneakers GO™ app with adjustable workouts, reminders and more.

SilverSneakers works. In fact, 93 percent of SilverSneakers participants report good, very good, or excellent health. Exercise can have a positive impact on many health conditions, including diabetes. Only 18 percent of SilverSneakers participants responding to our survey said they have diabetes, compared to 28 percent of seniors nationwide. Of those surveyed, 68 percent reported an improvement in their condition after participating in SilverSneakers.4

Research shows that people who are physically active on a regular basis can help prevent or manage type 2 diabetes. Encourage your Independence Medicare Advantage patients to start using their free SilverSneakers benefit to gain the benefits of an active lifestyle. 

Getting Started 

Getting started is quick and easy. Your Independence Medicare Advantage patients can simply visit SilverSneakers.com/StartHere or call 1-888-423-4632 (TTY: 711) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, to get their SilverSneakers ID number, find the participating locations they’d like to visit, and then show up! It’s that simple. 

1American Diabetes Association. “Statistics About Diabetes.” 2018. Available from: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/ .

2National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Diabetes Statistics.” 2017. Available from: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/d iabetes-statistics.

3National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Prediabetes Fact Sheet.” 2017. Available from: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Files/Health-Information/HF_Fa ctsheet_Prediabetes_EN_SP_RF508_FINAL_508.pdf.

42017 SilverSneakers Annual Member Survey. 

*Membership includes SilverSneakers instructor-led group fitness classes. Some locations offer members additional classes. Classes vary by location.

Participating locations (PL) are not owned or operated by Tivity Health, Inc. or its affiliates. Use of PL facilities and amenities is limited to terms and conditions of PL basic membership. Facilities and amenities vary by PL.

SilverSneakers and the SilverSneakers shoe logotype are registered trademarks of Tivity Health, Inc. Tivity Health, SilverSneakers On-Demand and SilverSneakers GO are trademarks of Tivity Health, Inc. © 2018 Tivity Health, Inc. All rights reserved.


This content was prepared for the Provider News Center and may not be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of Independence Blue Cross. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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