By Alysa Ferguson, MS, RD, CDE
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects a person’s life in many different ways. When diabetes is not well-controlled, it can bring on other health problems, such as heart disease, eye disease and kidney disease. However, diabetes can be a complicated condition to treat. Many things affect blood sugars, including food, physical activity, medication, weight, stress, and illness. Therefore, while a person’s medical provider plays an important role in the treatment of diabetes, it is the person with diabetes that has the most impact on their health and their life. It is the decisions they make each day, including taking their medications properly, what and how much they eat, and how active they are, that have the biggest impact.
Diabetes self-management education is the collaborative process of providing knowledge and skills so that the person with diabetes can take better care of themselves. It is their body and their health, and therefore they are at the center of their own care. Many people are available to help those with diabetes, including primary care providers, endocrinologists, dietitians, case managers, social workers, pharmacists, etc. Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) are the most highly qualified health professionals that can work with individuals and groups to educate and empower them to improve their self-care. Some of them are registered dietitians and some are registered nurses, but all of them are experts in diabetes. The person with diabetes, however, is the expert in their own life. So a CDE can help you choose and set goals to improve your health and quality of life.
If you live in Suffolk County, consider signing up for a free four-week series on Diabetes Self-Management, taught by Registered Dietitians and Registered Nurses, who are also Certified Diabetes Educators. Our next series will be held at HRHCare Elsie Owens Health Center in Coram starting June 9th. Contact Anastasia Loper at (631) 727-7850 Ext. 340 or abl98@cornell.edu for more information.
DSME Spring 2014 Flyer – Coram
Alysa Ferguson is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and Family Health Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 342 or at ah372@cornell.edu.