Approximately 18 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.
Hispanic beneficiaries are particularly susceptible to the disease and are more than four times likely than non-Hispanics aged 65 and over to experience a hospital admission due to uncontrolled diabetes. If not properly managed, diabetes can lead to serious and costly complications, such as amputation, blindness, stroke and even premature death. In order to help seniors better manage their healthcare and prevent early hospitialization the Department of Health and Human Services announced a collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Patient Education Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine to increase the number of diabetes self-management training programs (DSMT) in the United States.
Under the new collaboration, the four organizations will work with eight communities across the country with high concentrations of Hispanic seniors to implement a new ADA-certified recognized program specifically designed for Spanish-speaking individuals. The communities are: Chicago, Ill.; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; McAllen, Texas; Miami, Fla.; New York, N.Y.; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, Calif.
Certified diabetic educators, registered nurses and dieticians teach attendees to apply smart dieting to keep glucose levels in check the courses. “A lot of what we teach is behavior and lifestyle modification,” said Katherine Gerber, a registered dietician and certified diabetic educator.
During the course, participants learn that correct glucose monitoring, diet modification, meal planning and exercise minimize the impact diabetes has on their lives, Gerber said. “And don’t forget the eyes,” said Christine Gordon, registered dietician and certified diabetes educator. “We want to heighten awareness of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness. It sneaks up on you with blurred vision that many people shrug off until it’s too late.”
You may be at a higher risk for diabetes if you have any of the following risk characteristics:
• Family history of diabetes
• Low activity level
• Poor diet
• Over 45
• Excessive body weight
• High blood pressure
• Impaired glucose tolerance
If you have diabetes one of the other things taught in class is how to mind your ABC’s:
- Average Glucose – Get an estimated Average Glucose (eAG) or an A1C test every 6 months, which measures how well you are managing your diabetes over time. It is important to keep your eAG less than 154 mg/dl or A1C less than 7%.
- Blood Pressure – Keep your blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg.
- Cholesterol – Managing your cholesterol is important. LDL (bad) cholesterol should be below 100 mg/dl; HDL (healthy) cholesterol should be above 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women; triglycerides should be below 150 mg/dl.
