Diabetic Education Program

Recent data shows that more than 100 million U.S. adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes – and these rates continue to rise. Getting diagnosed with any form of diabetes can be a challenging experience for anyone as this condition calls for immediate changes to one’s lifestyle in order to stay healthy. Not being able to adapt properly can lead to numerous health complications that can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The seriousness of this condition along with its prevalence makes diabetes education more important than ever before.

What is Diabetes Education?

The goal of diabetes education is to provide the tools needed by people with this condition to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Diabetes education can be done one-on-one or in a group setting. Either way, these programs instill real-world skills that patients with diabetes can apply to everyday life. These programs cover needed information about diet, exercising, monitoring blood glucose, and other important aspects of managing diabetes.

At the bare minimum, diabetes education programs need to be designed and led by experts on the subject. Furthermore, proper diabetes education programs are provided by a recognized establishment and should be state-certified.

Why Is Diabetes Education Important? 

Diabetes education can be given to patients with prediabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. For all three types, diabetes education provides them with the knowledge and tools that they need to manage their health. 

But what differentiates diabetes education from independent personal research about the condition? Well, diabetes education is more than just presenting facts. These programs are also great opportunities for the patient to set goals – under the guidance of a medical professional. The patients will also be able to get the encouragement and emotional support that they need from a qualified expert.  And of course, urgent action and consistency of action are ensured with these programs – and these are absolutely crucial for both diabetics and prediabetics.

Why Diabetes Education is Crucial For Prediabetics 

Patients with prediabetes have a 10% chance of developing type 2 diabetes within a year’s time and 70% of developing the condition within their lifetimes. Moreover, people with prediabetes have a higher risk of heart disease than average. But prediabetes in itself is not a permanent condition. With the proper administration and application of diabetes education, patients with prediabetes have a better chance of delaying and even preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes along with the heightened risk of heart disease.

Why Diabetes Education is Vital for Diabetics 

And though type 1 and type 2 diabetes are typically lifelong conditions, self-management is key to maintaining optimum health and well-being. Through lifestyle changes facilitated by diabetes education, patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes can prevent the worsening of their condition and the complications associated with it. Possible health complications of poorly managed diabetes include the following:

Diabetic Retinopathy 

High levels of sugar in the blood can damage the retina of the eyes and thereby impair vision. The chances of developing this complication increase with poor self-management. Over time, diabetic retinopathy can lead to a permanent loss of sight. 

Diabetic Nephropathy 

High blood glucose levels can damage the blood vessels in the kidney as well as the kidney’s filters. This condition can further progress into chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. 

Diabetic Neuropathy 

High blood glucose levels don’t only damage blood vessels but also nerves. Nerve damage among diabetic patients is most often seen on the legs and feet. 

Heart attack & Stroke 

High blood sugar can damage the blood vessels as well as the nerves that control the heart. This is why diabetic patients can be highly susceptible to heart attacks and strokes if they do not employ proper self-management. 

Dry gangrene 

Because high blood sugar can cause damage to the blood vessels over time, this can lead to a tissue death known as dry gangrene. Tissue death is irreversible and would need to be surgically removed. Dry gangrene is common in the body’s extremities such as the feet or hands. 

Diabetic Ketoacidosis 

Diabetic ketoacidosis can happen to all diabetics but is more common in those that have type 1 diabetes. This is a life-threatening health emergency due to the buildup of ketones.

Who Needs Diabetes Education?

Diabetes is serious and can be challenging to cope with alone. For this reason, diabetes education is not only for patients with diabetes, but also for their loved ones. A loved one can help keep the patient accountable for applying what they learned in the program. Furthermore, an informed loved one is in a better place to understand the struggles of a person with diabetes and offer sound encouragement and timely reminders when necessary. 

With the right instructional design, diabetes education can be for everyone. This is why the experts of Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital have spent the needed time and effort to create a diabetes education program that is accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

How Our Diabetic Education Program Works 

Here at Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, we believe that for a diabetic education program to be effective, it must be focused, personalized, and engaging. 

The program is facilitated by our Diabetic Care Manager who will be working with patients in a highly-focused one-on-one setup. The patient can also bring along a loved one to accompany them.

The First Consultation 

The first consultation lasts approximately 1 hour long and is held in our Rural Health Clinic in Manistique, Michigan. In this intensive session, the diabetic care manager starts by talking to the patient personally about what they already know about diabetes and their diagnosis. From here, the patient is guided in setting goals and instructed on how to meet those goals with the right strategies. The patient will be given diet recommendations along with other helpful lifestyle changes. 

Follow-Up Visits 

The person with diabetes is encouraged to visit the diabetic educator once per month unless there is a change in medication. These visits last up to 30 minutes and can be done over the phone.

Sign Up for Our Diabetic Education Program 

Conditions like prediabetes and diabetes demand stringent lifestyle changes. Prediabetes has a high likelihood of developing into diabetes if left unchecked. And diabetes can have serious health complications if not managed properly. This makes the diabetic education program a powerful force in ensuring someone’s health and quality of life. In dealing with these conditions, time is crucial. So why wait? Take the first step to maximizing your health potential.

The diabetic education program that we offer here at Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital is state-certified and recognized by the American Diabetes Association for quality self-management education. So you know you’ll be getting nothing but the best. To sign up for our diabetic education program, you can call us or ask your primary care physician about it.