Center for Traditional Medicine 2019 Community Service Grant

Posted:Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) is pleased to have awarded The Center for World Indigenous Studies of Olympia, Washington, with a 2019 MTF Community Service Grant for their project entitled Diabetes Massage for the Underserved in Rural and Urban Mexico. The Center for World Indigenous Studies is one of five 2019 MTF Community Service Grant recipients which were originally announced in September of 2019 and which are currently ongoing.

This $5,000 grant will support the delivery of diabetes-specific massage and self-massage education for disadvantaged rural indigenous and urban poor people in Mexico who are otherwise unable to access massage. 41 individuals who have type 2 diabetes with sequelae such as neuropathy, edema, or other risk factors will be referred to the program by their health professionals.

The project will also provide public information presentations delivered to up to 35 health professionals to educate about massage for diabetes and to promote continuing support in the two communities. The project will raise awareness about the role of massage for diabetes type 2 in the medical, consumer, and local indigenous communities as well as enhance the specific skills of licensed massage therapists and nurses who conduct massage and teach self-care massage methods to consumers and their families.

Physicians and referring clinicians, nurses at public health clinics and the local public health hospital will be provided vouchers which they fill out (duplicates) as referral form and they will have a list of CTM trained and approved licensed massage therapists, and locations where the client can obtain up to 3 massages at no charge. After each massage the participant will be taught a self-massage method with emphasis on how to soak feet, dry and then massage the feet with oil to maintain healthy feet. An infographic handout will be provided in Spanish. Any family member or friend of the client will be invited to attend the session to also learn to perform the self care protocol. The protocol will be documented for each client and a copy given to
the client at the completion of the third massage.

This project aims to reach more deeply into underserved areas, rural villages and urban barrios to provide no-cost massage therapy for diabetes. Goals include raising awareness about the role of massage for diabetes type 2 in the medical, consumer and local indigenous communities and enhancing the specific skills of LMTs (or nurses who conduct massage) who have an interest in learning and to teach self-care massage methods to consumers and their families.

Watch the short video below to learn more about MTF’s 2019 Community Service Grant supporting the delivery of diabetes-specific massage and self-massage education for disadvantaged rural indigenous and urban poor people in Mexico:

Click here to read about MTF’s other 2019 Community Service Grantees

Learn more about the Center for Traditional Medicine/Center for World Indigenous Studies at www.cwis.org.

Help MTF continue to fund grants like the one above: Donate today!