 "The state is promoting healthy behaviors and endorsing the
effectiveness of diabetes self-management education, or 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.
The class has been taught at ALMH since 2009 by DiPasquale.
The first session begins Wednesday, meeting from 6 to 8:15 p.m.
in the Baldridge Education Room at ALMH, and will meet on Wednesday
evenings until April 9. The second session will begin March 12,
meeting from 2 to 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons until April 23.
"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 four major content areas in the program:
-
"On the Road to
Better Managing Your Diabetes" covers many of the basic
concepts one needs to know about managing diabetes.
-
"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.
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-
"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.
-
"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.
Because of the program's structure, a limited number of
participants can enroll for each session.
To participate, a specific physician's order for diabetes
self-management education is required, and participants must fill
out registration and needs assessment forms. To inquire or request
the forms, contact DiPasquale by email (preferred) at
diabetes@almh.org or call
217-605-5535.
[Text from file received from
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]
ALMH is a 25-bed critical-access
hospital at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln. For more information,
visit www.almh.org.
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