Wednesday, October 30, 2013

National Diabetes Month

In observance of National Diabetes Month 2013, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and Wayne HealthCare want you to know that Diabetes is a Family Affair.

Diabetes is a challenging disease that affects the entire family in many ways. For people living with diabetes and their loved ones, family support is very important when it comes to managing diabetes and preventing serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage that can lead to amputation. It’s also important to know that having a family history of diabetes – such as a mother, father, brother, or sister with diabetes – increases a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Wayne HealthCare is working with individuals and families to take action. We encourage simple, but important lifestyle changes to improve your health. Lifestyle changes can be based on the American Association of Diabetes Educators Self-Care Behavioral Goals: healthy eating, being active, monitoring, taking medication, problem solving, healthy coping, and reducing risks. Examples of goals may include: exercising so many days a week, reducing portion sizes at your largest meal, taking medication on time more often, monitoring blood glucose, treating low blood sugar appropriately, having an eye or foot exam, or working on ways to lower stress.

Did you know?

  • Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes.
  • Seven million people with diabetes do not even know that they have this disease.
  • An estimated 79 million adults in the U.S. have prediabetes, placing them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Having a family history of diabetes places you at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • If you are a woman who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, you are at increased risk for developing diabetes, and the child of that pregnancy is at increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

But there is good news! If you are at risk for diabetes, there are things you can do to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. If you are living with diabetes or have a loved one with the disease, it's important to work together to manage diabetes to stay healthy and prevent complications. Managing diabetes is not easy, but support from family members can make it much easier.

Support includes learning more about diabetes, knowing your diabetes ABC’s (A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol), managing your diabetes, and completing routine care to avoid problems. Support can come from family or the community to help you manage your diabetes.

Wayne HealthCare would like to provide you support in November if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes. On November 6, 2013 Karen Droesch, RD,LD,CDE will provide a free presentation on “An Overview of Diabetes” at Wayne HealthCare. The program will be held at 2 pm in the conference room on the first floor. The program will discuss an overview of the following topics: blood glucose numbers, diabetes physiology, healthy eating with diabetes, review of diabetes medications, reducing complications, and exercise. If you have any questions, please call 937-547-5750.

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