Free Education for Diabetes Patients and What to Teach
The education of the diabetic patient is the first requirement that diabetics need. They need to be educated about the causes of diabetes as well as the problems they may encounter. They will also need to learn the areas for which they will need to have self-care responsibility.
Self-care responsibilities for diabetics include daily glucose monitoring, changing eating habits, starting an exercise plan, and what the patient needs to do to cooperate with members of their health care team. Diabetes care includes monitoring, management and control.
The first and most important thing is monitoring the disease. There are many monitoring devices on the market and many companies that produce monitoring devices. Most of these companies usually give newly diagnosed patients their first monitor for free. The diabetic’s medical staff can advise and educate the diabetic on the use of these devices. Daily glucose control is the first line of defense for diabetics and extremely important for the management and treatment of this disease.
Diet and nutrition will also need to be monitored. It is also necessary to develop an exercise program to maintain a healthy weight, as well as for general fitness. Exercise is important to keep your blood pressure under control, as well as to help medications or insulin therapy work properly.
Diabetics also need to be taught by medical professionals the importance of monitoring their eye health, foot health, and good oral health, as these can be problem areas for diabetic patients. Due to the narrowing of the blood vessels, eye problems can develop and diabetic patients should have regular eye exams that involve dilating the eyes so that the ophthalmologist can better examine the blood vessels in the back of the eyes.
Another area that needs education and management is oral hygiene, especially gum health. This is caused by narrowing of the blood vessels in the mouth. Therefore, diabetic patients should have regularly scheduled dental visits and learn good daily care of their gums and teeth.
The most important care area is foot care. Diabetics have many problems with their feet. This happens due to nerve damage in the foot and narrowing of the blood vessels in the legs. These two problems together can make a small cut easily infected and can lead to gangrene in the foot. Gangrene often leads to amputation of the leg or foot. But the good news is that all of these problems can be prevented with proper foot care. Proper foot care includes daily washing and careful inspection of the feet for breaks in the skin, small cuts, blisters, corns and calluses. Corns and calluses should be treated by medical or nursing staff. Small cuts should be treated with antibiotic ointments. It is extremely important to keep your toenails properly trimmed to avoid ingrown toenails, as this can also be a source of infection or foot problems.
Free education for diabetes patients is available in most communities. Newly diagnosed diabetics will be referred to these programs by their primary care physician. Diabetic patient education is the first requirement for newly diagnosed diabetics. They need to be educated about the causes of diabetes as well as the problems they may encounter. They will also need to learn the areas in which they will have to take responsibility for taking care of themselves.
Drink plenty of water because it has no calories and helps flush out toxins. Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, no sugar, no body, no sweetener, no color, and no preservatives?