Diabetes Educators (AADE) and. director of the Georgia Latino Dia a diabetes educator, a person can. discover what behavioral changes …
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The Power of You
With the help of a diabetes educator, you can learn how to protect your health by John McIntosh
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iabetes educators help people with diabetes learn selfmanagement We asked Amparo Gonzalez, RN, CDE, president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators AADE and director of the Georgia Latino Diabetes Education Program at Emory University in Atlanta, how someone who has diabetes can most effectively work with a diabetes educator DIABETES FOCUS: Whats a diabetes educators most important message to get across to patients? GONZALEZ: We let people with diabetes know theyre not alone We are ready to help them find the best away to follow their diabetestreatment plan By meeting with a diabetes educator, a person can discover what behavioral changes are necessary for gaining control And we can help them assess what theyre willing to work on, so they dont waste their time The AADE has identified seven behaviors that a diabetes educator
can help a person master so they can maintain a healthful diabetes-management regimen These are healthy eating, being active, monitoring checking glucose levels regularly, taking medication, problem solving finding out
about how to handle glucose -control problems as they arise and then acting on that information, reducing risks quitting smoking, cutting down on drinking, getting regular foot exams, etc and healthy coping figuring out how to cope with day-to-day frustrations associated with managing and having diabetes For more details, go to diabeteseducatororg DF: How does the process work? AG: When people answer the diabetes educators questions about these seven points, they can find out where they are most at risk Then they can work with the diabetes educator to identify where theyre ready to make changes
We set goals and work on problemsolving skills–together We do ongoing follow-up by phone, faceto-face or both, to find out how a person is doing and to see if goals have been met DF: How can a person find a good diabetes educator? AG: You can ask your primary health-care provider for a recommendation Or go to our website, diabeteseducatororg, and use our locator; or call 800-338-3633 DF: Are there ways that family members can help? AG: Yes For even more effective support, we recommend that you take a family member with you to your doctors appointment Have them take notes, so you have a
record of what was said And last but not least, ask them to remind you to take all your medications nonprescription drugs and supplements, too with you when you go for any appointment I
The Expert: Amparo Gonzalez, RN, CDE, is the president of the
American Association of Diabetes Educators
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