Tuesday, January 03, 2012
 
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ALMH to offer interactive diabetes classes in 2012

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[January 03, 2012]  If you're diabetic and looking to lead a healthier lifestyle in the new year, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital offers a popular class that is now covered by insurance.

ALMH has scheduled two sessions of the class in early 2012. The state of Illinois passed a law that requires insurance companies to cover the cost of Diabetes Self Management Education beginning Jan. 1.

"The state is promoting healthy behaviors and endorsing the effectiveness of DSME, which uses a curriculum approved by the American Diabetes Association," said Jennifer DiPasquale, a licensed registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. "Group education works."

Called the U.S. Diabetes Conversation Map program, the DSME class will be guided by participants in an interactive setting. The program was developed by Healthy Interactions Inc., a global leader in health education, in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association.

It has been taught at ALMH since 2009 by DiPasquale. The first session of four classes in 2012 begins Jan. 12, meeting 2-4 p.m. in the Baldridge Education Room at ALMH. The second session will begin March 8.

"It's always patient-centered, promoting what the group feels is important," DiPasquale said. "This conversation-driven method leads participants to get more involved in creating a plan to improve their health, and it's driven by the belief that people learn by being engaged -- hearing, seeing, exploring, discussing and doing."

There are five different Conversation Map tools included in the program:

1. On the Road to Better Managing Your Diabetes covers many of the basic concepts one needs to know about managing diabetes.

2. Diabetes and Healthy Eating engages participants in a detailed discussion about the connection between food and diabetes and the importance of healthy eating in managing diabetes.

3. Monitoring Your Blood Glucose engages patients in a discussion about the importance of monitoring blood glucose, managing high and low blood glucose, and how to use the results from monitoring to better manage diabetes.

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4. Continuing Your Journey with Diabetes focuses on complex concepts related to diabetes, including the natural course of diabetes, the medicine options that exist, what insulin is and how it works, long-term complications associated with diabetes, and the key ABCs -- A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol.

5. Caring for Gestational Diabetes engages participants in a discussion about the feelings and emotions that can come with being pregnant and having gestational diabetes, the risks associated with and how to care for gestational diabetes, and what one might expect after pregnancy.

Because of the program's structure, a limited number of participants can enroll for each session. To participate, you must fill out registration and needs assessment forms. A physician's order is also required. To inquire or request the forms, contact DiPasquale by email (preferred) at diabetes@almh.org or by calling 217-605-5535.  

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]

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