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Services Offered

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support
Our comprehensive diabetes outpatient program empowers patients by helping them understand diabetes and how to control it. The program involves 10 hours of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES)

The program is taught in a group or individual setting and is adapted to meet the needs of individual participants. Topics include:
  • Behavior change education: This is the first step in DSMES. During clinical assessment, we record height, weight, blood pressure and a recent hemoglobin A1C level. The educator will assess lifestyle habits and medical issues to determine what types of diabetes education are needed.
  • Basic diabetes management: The program addresses types of diabetes, factors affecting blood glucose, blood glucose monitoring, insulin self-management, options for insulin delivery, oral medication self-management, acute and chronic complications of diabetes, foot care, basics of exercise, stress management, and more.
  • Meal planning: Topics include learning to use an individualized meal plan, carbohydrate counting, measuring food portions, eating out, reading food labels, and understanding the difference between carbohydrate, protein and fat.
  • Everyday lifestyle management: Discusses dining out, use of alcohol, managing diabetes while ill, and how stress and exercise affect the blood glucose.
  • Reducing risk for complications: Addresses potential complications that can result from diabetes such as retinopathy, heart disease, kidney disease and neuropathy, and ways to monitor a person’s health related to these complications.
  • Insulin education: Teaches all aspects of understanding insulin dosage, injection or pump management. More details below.
  • Follow-up sessions: To ensure the continued success of our patients, we schedule several 30-minute follow-up sessions during the first 12 months of the initial training program.

Insulin Education and Management
For diabetes patients who are insulin dependent, we offer many services and options.

Insulin Education
Our educators teach patients, parents and caregivers about the different types of insulin and proper dosage and use. Needs vary based upon a person’s age, lifestyle, and other health conditions.  

Insulin Pump Education
Deciding to go on an insulin pump is a life changing decision. There are many pumps on the market today offering a variety of features and capabilities to help make life with diabetes less stressful. Our diabetes educators can assist you in finding which style will best fit your needs.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGM)
Continuous Glucose Monitoring systems provide real-time glucose readings every five minutes for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Knowing the changing direction of blood glucose helps patients who experience extreme blood glucose fluctuations manage their insulin quickly and efficiently. This can be very helpful and reduce anxiety, especially for active adults and for parents of young children who are diabetic. CGMs are also used as a diagnostic tool by physicians when determining the cause of the patient’s extreme highs and lows, to make insulin adjustments as needed. Our diabetes educators can assist you in finding which style will best fit your needs.
 
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