HRMC makes diabetes education a priority
Monday, November 27, 2006 11:56 AM PST
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| Jennifer Colton | Argus Observer
Reta Sutton, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, speaks about footcare during a free diabetes seminar at HRMC Tuesday. The seminar, sponsored by the A.W.A.K.E. class, also covered meal planning, portion control and holiday foods. |
Jennifer Colton
Argus Observer
Ontario
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and the “Living with Diabetes” program at Holy Rosary Medical Center is spreading the word about risks, myths and holiday feasting.
HRMC's diabetes education program, spearheaded by Certified Diabetes Educator Reta Sutton, RN, and registered dietitian Debby Hampton, has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association since 2000.
“ADA recognizes programs all over the U.S.,” Sutton said Tuesday. “They ask, ‘did our program really benefit our population.'”
Across the country, nearly 1,900 hospital programs earn the national recognition, and according to its Web site, HRMC is the only hospital between Portland and Boise recognized by ADA in 2006.
For recognition, programs must include six education standards: meal planning, medications, monitoring blood sugars, complications, stress management and activity. A program must also have a certified diabetes educator and a registered dietitian on staff.
More than 20 million Americans have diabetes - 7 percent of the population - and diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, according to the ADA.
Symptoms for diabetes can include frequent urination, excessive thirst or hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, slow-healing sores and frequent infections.
In “Living with Diabetes,” program patients learn about diabetes management, the relationship between diabetes and other complications like heart disease and the “top 10 myths” about diabetes, which include that sugar causes diabetes, one can catch diabetes from someone else and diabetics can never eat sweets.
Tuesday, Sutton gave a special seminar on “the least understood problems of diabetes,” covering foot care and meal planning for the A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well and Keeping Energetic) class at HRMC.
Foot care is an important aspect of diabetes management, Sutton said.
“It's a big thing,” she said. “People who have had it (diabetes) in their families, they have seen it. There are 70,000 amputations a year due to diabetes - 90 percent of those are preventable.”
Sutton encourages diabetics to check their feet daily, using a mirror if necessary, watch for sores or anything unusual and report any changes to a doctor.
“Even if you're not sure that it's not right, you get to the doctor,” she said. “The problem is that people don't go to their doctor right away. By the time they see their doctor, it's really bad, and sometimes they don't even know it's there.”
Portion control, label reading and grocery shopping are also key elements of the “Living with Diabetes” class.
“You go in (to the grocery store) with a big list, and you come out with nothing because you don't know what you're looking for,” Sutton said.
Rather than stressing specific or “diabetic” foods, the class starts with the foods people already eat.
“If we tell you to eat cottage cheese, you're not going to eat it if you don't like it,” Sutton said. “She (Hampton) goes through the foods they already eat, then she tells them what portions they should eat.”
Going into the holiday season, portion control is important for everyone, but especially for diabetics, Sutton said.
Diabetics can eat almost anything, she said, as long as they maintain portion control and monitor blood sugar levels.
In the education program, Sutton also covers stress management and the emotional impact of diabetes. Frustration and denial are the two most common feelings of class members, she said.
“People feel isolated until they get into that group and go ‘oh, they have the same problems, I'm not alone,'” Sutton said. “I was really impressed by the group dynamics.”
HRMC offers “Living with Diabetes” classes from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. twice a month, and reimbursement is available from most insurance companies and Medicare, Sutton said.
For more information on diabetes and the “Living with Diabetes” program, contact Reta Sutton at (541) 881-7402.
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