Services
Diabetes Education
Outpatient Diabetes Education
Outpatient
diabetes education is provided through individual or group classes and presented
by several diabetes educators, who specialize in diabetes management.
Nurse diabetes educators provide an overview of diabetes management and teach blood sugar monitoring. They also address issues relating to high and low blood sugars, care during illness, preventing long-term complications, foot care, psychological aspects, as well as help motivate clients to plan behavior changes to maintain the best control of their disease. They also share resources available on local, state and national levels.
Nutrition diabetes educators focus on how foods affect blood sugars, determining food portions, reading labels, eating out choices, healthy cooking techniques, and adjusting meal plans to activities and illness. It is known that no single diet works to treat all people with diabetes, instead diets should be individualized to meet the unique needs of each person according to their likes, dislikes and activities. Frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels enables individuals with diabetes to adjust their own insulin doses to compensate for the changes in usual eating times, meal pattern, and exercise habits. The American Diabetes and Dietetic Associations recommend a heart healthy meal plan, which is good for the entire family.
Pharmacists help diabetes patients learn about medication management. Patients become familiar with the medications used to treat diabetes. They review how medications, both oral and insulin, work in the body, how it is dosed and the side effects. They discuss possible interactions with other medications as well as how medications, which aren't taken for diabetes, may affect blood sugar.
A physical therapist helps diabetes patients understand how exercise impacts diabetes self-management. Patients learn about the benefits and risks of exercise, both in general and specific to those with diabetes. Exercise lowers blood sugar, so it is important to plan ahead for safe exercise.