Diabetes Care for You

Living with diabetes requires constant maintenance, education, and a willingness to participate in your health. With proactive lifestyle changes, you can prevent or delay the complications that typically arise from diabetes.

Diabetes Self-Management Education

Diabetes Self-Management is a structured program that targets the behaviors and self-management techniques that enable persons with diabetes to effectively manage blood glucose levels, medications, and other factors daily. This training is a team effort that includes the primary care provider, diabetes educators, and the “MVP” of the team – the person with diabetes. There is an initial consultation, followed by four once-a-week group classes with follow-up individual appointments as needed. All the education targets seven critical behaviors for effective diabetes management.

Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) 

In a nutrition-based treatment, individuals work with their primary care provider and a registered dietician to create an individually-tailored nutrition plan. MNT encompasses the nutritional approach and assessment and counseling that go along with it – emphasizing that support in making changes in food intake is essential. The goal is to provide the patient with education and self-management skills to incorporate the plan into their lives successfully.

During an initial consultation with a registered dietician, there is a review of eating habits, lifestyle choices, and nutritional status. After develop a new eating plan, follow-up appointments are scheduled to check progress and to determine if any plan adjustments are required.

Pre-Diabetes Education Program

Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Almost 88 million American adults have prediabetes where more than 84% don’t know they have it.

The Diabetes Prevention Program is a 12-month lifestyle change program that meets for one hour each session. You will meet weekly for the first 16 weeks, then monthly. The goal is to lose 5-7% of body weight and obtain 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Educational topics covered include:

• Coping with triggers
• Eating balanced meals
• Eating healthy while dining out
• Managing stress

Discuss possible diabetes risks with your primary care provider. If you are at risk, have your blood sugar tested and follow your provider’s advice.

Joy Galloway, MS, RD/LD, CDE
Diabetes Education Coordinator
DRH Health
(580) 251-8461