When 62-year old Norma Nebecker went to the doctor last December, she didn’t expect the diagnosis to be diabetes. Needing information on the disease, her doctor recommended she enroll in Evergreen’s Diabetes Education Program. “I would have been floundering without these classes,” Nebecker says. “They gave me the ability to take care of myself and figure out some pretty big lifestyle changes.”
That’s exactly what Lois Reed – one of two certified diabetes educators at Evergreen – wants to hear. The four-part educational series is for adults with Type 2 diabetes. Reed, who teaches the series with Marilyn Ward, says it gives patients a clearer understanding of their condition and how to know if their diabetes is under good control.
“They learn when to call the doctor, what preventive tests need to be done, how to practice good nutrition and how to identify and resolve problems with their blood sugar,” Reed explains. She is encouraged that nearly 90 percent of class graduates are able to keep their blood sugar within a healthy range and therefore avoid the long-term complications of diabetes, which include heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage.
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“The first thing they do is teach diabetes survival skills,” Nebecker recalls. “We learned what diabetes is and why it happens, and about what to eat and how to monitor our blood sugar.” Later classes provide more in-depth information about diet and lifestyle changes needed to successfully manage diabetes.
In addition to the education series, Evergreen also sponsors an annual diabetes fair where vendors and speakers present the latest information and products for diabetics. “It’s the patient’s responsibility to keep up with their diabetes knowledge,” Reed explains. “Things change and they need to keep informed.”
Norma Nebecker has been able to control her diabetes without medication, and she credits the Evergreen program with given her to ability to take care of herself and her disease. “The classes made me feel like I was in control,” she says. “I’m in charge of my diabetes and I’m my own manager.”
Click here for more information on Evergreen’s Diabetes Education Program, or call 425.899.3008.