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 “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.
It has been taught at
ALMH since 2009 by DiPasquale. The afternoon sessions begins June
11, meeting 2pm-4:15pm in
the Baldridge Education Room at ALMH and will meet on
Wednesday afternoons
until July 23. The evening session will begin June
11, meeting from 6pm
– 8:15pm on Wednesday evenings
until July
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 as it relates to
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
to 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 ABC's (A1C, blood pressure,
cholesterol).
Because
of the program’s structure, a limited number of participants can
enroll for each session. To participate, a specific Diabetes Self
Management Education physician’s order is required and you must fill
out registration and needs assessment forms. To inquire or request
the forms, contact DiPasquale by email (preferred) at diabetes@almh.org or
by calling 217-605-5535.
[Text received; ANGELA STOLTZENBURG,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL]
ALMH is a 25-bed critical
access hospital located at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln. For more
information, visit ALMH.org.
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