February 26, 2015

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #10 Catherine Price

As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short (link to handout), is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People and their caregivers are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile, or even a few feet, in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.
Goal one with my Dialoging about Diabetes interviews is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD connect and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

Here’s my dialog with Catherine Price, who’s had type 1 diabetes (T1D) since 2001. Catherine engages with the DOC in several ways, writing and blogging for the diabetes site ASweetLife.org, organizing patient advocacy efforts and talking about the DOC at medical and pharma conferences. Beyond being a PWD and doing diabetes-focused consulting work, Catherine is a nationally known journalist. Her work has appeared in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, and Slate Magazine. Inspired in part by T1D and her interest in writing about nutrition -- she’s written the new book, Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection. But first, enjoy Catherine’s responses to my questions about life with diabetes, the DOC and insights from her new book. 

 
March 2, 2014

Interview with Susan Weiner, co-author The Complete Diabetes Organizer

Diabetes, whether type 1 or 2, is a personally very demanding disease. That’s an understatement! The day-to-day management of diabetes is done by the beholder and/or their caregivers, not the person’s healthcare provider(s). As healthcare providers we spend time teaching people about managing diabetes, from medications to food, exercise, preventing complications and more. It would be great if we had endless time to help give people practical ideas and strategies for fitting their diabetes into everyday life, but we generally and unfortunately, don’t.

That’s THE BIG reason I’m pleased to see this new book come along, The Complete Diabetes Organizer. This all-in-one guidebook, written by diabetes nutrition educator, Susan Weiner and organization guru, Leslie Josel, offers up plenty of practical tips, products, apps and more to help people with diabetes better organize their diabetes into their real (and busy) lives.

 
February 9, 2014

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #9 Kerri Sparling, author Balancing Diabetes and six

As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short, is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People and their caregivers are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.
Goal one with these Dialoging about Diabetes interviews with diabetes activists is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD get connected and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

Here’s my dialog with Kerri Sparling, who’s had type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 27 years. Kerri jumped into the diabetes social networking world early on, in May of 2005 with her blog Six Until Me. She regularly contributes her personal thoughts in her column SUM Musings in the D-newsletter diatribe. She’s been an active member of the ever-expanding Diabetes Online Community (aka The DOC) and a diabetes advocate. Now Kerri has authored a book, Balancing Diabetes. Kerri’s book offers her account and the accounts of others, mainly those with T1D, who work to balance diabetes everyday through all the ins and outs of daily life.

 
July 17, 2013

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #8 Moira McCarthy, Raising Teens with Diabetes

Dialog DiabetesAs a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short, is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People and their caregivers are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes (or a parent’s in this case). I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.

Goal one with these Dialoging about Diabetes interviews with diabetes activists is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD get connected and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

Here’s my dialog with Moira McCarthy, mother of Lauren who is now 21 years old. Moira’s daughter Lauren was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 at 6 years old.

 
July 10, 2013

Top 10 Take Aways from ADA 2013 – Part Two

I recently attended the 73rd American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago, June 21-25 where brilliant and dedicated researchers and health care professionals from around the globe gather to learn, share and connect. As a diabetes educator involved in the diabetes field nearly 35 years and counting, I was once again wowed by this meeting...and learned a ton!

Though tough to choose, here are my top 10 take aways from the 2013 ADA meeting - divded into Part One and Part Two:

6. Delivering Improved Diabetes Care and SUPPORT Using Technology: It’s been said before and was said again and again this year, people with diabetes (and prediabetes) need ongoing and consistent support. As Marti Funnell, MS, RN, CDE said, “If we don’t address the emotional side of diabetes we won’t ever improve outcomes. It is an imperative!” And as Ed Fisher, PhD, of Peers for Progress (link) said, “Humans have fundamental need for support and social connections.” People not only need emotional support to manage this disease, but research clearly shows that to make the necessary health behavior changes and implement the management strategies for good control, people also need support. See #10 – The DOC.

The good news is today we have technologies, from Skype, to online systems, to tracking devices, telehealth tools, and more to come in the future, to incorporate important support systems. And numerous studies presented at ADA again showed that people do better with support…and that we can deliver this conveniently to people and more cost effectively.

 
July 10, 2013

Top 10 Take Aways from ADA 2013 – Part One

ADA Sci SesI recently attended the 73rd American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago, June 21-25 where brilliant and dedicated researchers and health care professionals from around the globe gathered to learn, share and connect. As a diabetes educator who’s been involved in the diabetes field nearly 35 years and counting, I was once again wowed by this meeting...and learned a ton!

Though tough to choose, here are my top 10 take aways from the 2013 ADA meeting - divded into Part One and Part Two:

1. DCCT/EDIC Results Heralded:  A highlight of ADA was celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the landmark type 1 study, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. This trial was designed to answer the questions: Does good control matter? The DCCT began in 1983 and the conclusions were unveiled at the 1993 ADA meeting (I still remember the thrill of hearing the results live!). These results showed a reduction in the early stages of diabetes complications (eye, kidneys, etc.), by up to 76% compared with so-called “conventional therapy” – two shots of insulin a day.

 
May 11, 2013

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #7 Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE

As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’ve observed that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short, is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive. Goal one with these Dialoging about Diabetes interviews with diabetes activists is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD get connected and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

 
May 11, 2013

Book Review: My Sweet Life: Successful Women with Diabetes and Successful Men with Diabetes

This is one in a series of book reviews. You may find these books beneficial if you: manage prediabetes or diabetes, follow a diabetes meal plan and/or try to eat healthy to live well. These book reviews (Women) and (Men) also appear on amazon.com and the books can be found in my amazon a-store. Please check out these books and consider a purchase.

Wow! If you or a loved one has diabetes or you are a healthcare provider who works with people with diabetes, the twin compendiums, My Sweet Life: Successful Women with Diabetes and My Sweet Life: Successful Men with Diabetes, should be on your list of must reads!

These two books are the brainchild of Beverly Adler, a person who herself has had type 1 diabetes for 38 years. Dr. Adler, (AKA Dr. Bev), is also a psychologist (PhD) and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). See the Dialoging about Diabetes: PWD offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #7 Dr. Beverly Adler.  

In both My Sweet Life books, each about 250 pages, Beverly has compiled stories from people who have had diabetes for a number of years. Collectively these books represent hundreds of years of wisdom around living with this VERY challenging disease.

 
January 11, 2013

Dialoging about Diabetes: PWDs Offer Ways to Improve Communication and Care #6 Ginger Vieira

Dialoging about Diabetes As a diabetes educator/healthcare provider (DHCP) I’m observing that the rapidly growing world of the Diabetes Online Community, the DOC for short, is helping people with diabetes (PWD) and their loved ones find support and feel supported. People are connecting, building relationships and feeling more positive about the challenges of managing their diabetes. I’m delighted to see this trend!

As a DHCP I’ve long realized that I can’t walk a mile in a PWD shoes. I can’t know what it is like day in, day out to deal with this challenging and relentless disease. But, what I do know is that we can learn from each other to change the dialog between providers and PWD to be more positive, more supportive.

Goal one with Dialoging about Diabetes interviews with diabetes activists is to help make living with diabetes…just a bit easier. Goal two is to enhance the two-way street – to help more PWD get connected and encourage more DHCPs to open the doors of social networking to PWD.

 
November 16, 2012

Out Raising Awareness During American Diabetes Month

The diabetes stats are downright staggering! Nearly 19 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. and another 6 million are estimated to have diabetes but don’t yet know it. Add to this number, another 79 million people with prediabetes yet barely 10 percent of these throngs of people know they have it. 

Unfortunately people continue to think of type 2 diabetes as a ho-hum disease and tend not treat it early and aggressively. Yet we know early and aggressive care of type 2 is exactly what keeps people healthier longer. And we know early awareness and action with prediabetes can prevent/delay the progression to type 2 diabetes.

So, to honor American Diabetes Month, I’ve grabbed every opportunity which has come my way to raise awareness, educate and promote action. Check out links to these guest blogs, videos, and interviews:

 

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