How can you encourage diabetic patients to manage their own care?

Every person with diabetes already knows that they should manage their diabetes. The question is how to do it. We must recognize how much peer support and education can help us understand the big how.

Over the 41years of being a type 1 Diabetic the lived experience and peer support on diabetes education has become important. our experience has helped many people around the world to better cope and management of diabetes. The different Social Economics and cost of care has put a burden on the patient themselves if you cannot afford Food and Medicines and yes our mental is very important. I agree with many of the posts as we suffer with complication after complication if we don't look after ourselves.

Diabetes is mainly managed by the person who has it, therefore to determine the skills they need to develop is based on an initial assessment of their needs. In order to understand their needs, their educational, nutritional and emotional needs to be assessed. Learning about their cultural factors, health beliefs, physical limitations and family support are all important here.

Connection before correction. You can not educate an individual before you have a trusting relationship with a client. The assessment of the healthcare professional is a platform to come together. It is not an agenda for the client to complete. This is why by demonstrating authentic curiosity for the client, focusing on what is effective and what direction the client would like to explore, individuals with diabetes are more likely to create and follow behavioral goals. Each person with diabetes needs to experience a felt sense of inclusion and ease, being seen and heard, and being accepted before sustainable, wholesome self-care is possible.

We know that diabetes self-management education leads to better blood glucose control, but we so rarely focus on what that education should look like - what health literacy level it should be at, what languages it should be in, what format, and how human it should be. All of these factors can make a huge difference to how the education is received, and understood, and implemented.

Multiple educational areas should be addressed, including medications, monitors of blood glucose, physical activity, Complication detection (acute and chronic), physical activity, nutrition, emotional well being.

The challengers for me over the years of being in the community and educating diabetics who are illiterate, blind and ones suffering from schizophrenia. The care givers are 100% supportive so the diabetic patient becomes totally dependent on them. Peer support becomes less in these areas of care and support. Technology is not a necessity for them as more is on the caregiver.

Genuine empathy at every level will take us forward to improve diabetes management and prevention of complications. Isolatoin is the killer.

In my experience, having someone by their side every step of the way that they can be vulnerable with, confide in, and find real-time tangible support from is key to success. The Way To My Heart works 1:1 with PAD patients who have diabetes to help them make healthier decisions in real-time, provide them with peer support and encouragement, and offer accountability. This increases compliance in these patients and empowers them in a supportive environment to take their health into their own hands versus relying on their healthcare system for a magic pill or procedure.

Living with diabetes poses a number of challenges. Patients need to be empowered to deal with these challenges and cope with the ongoing self-management issues. Patients and caregiviers need to be empowered to deal with treatment goals, complication recognition and avoidance and promoting quality of life.

Introducing Alex, a resilient 42-year-old navigating the intricacies of diabetes management. Facing challenges in adherence, Alex's healthcare team implemented a tailored strategy. Personalized coaching and connection with a supportive peer group provided not just motivation but practical solutions. Through attentive listening and genuine empathy, a robust bond was forged. When administrative hurdles surfaced, the team's advocacy not only smoothed Alex's path but catalyzed systemic improvements. This real scenario exemplifies the profound impact of holistic support, demonstrating how personalized coaching, peer connection, and advocacy empower diabetic individuals to thrive in their health journey.

Supporting is another key that is really important to manage any of the condition. For giving them support we have to follow certain things: 1- As a family support them by treating them as any of the other member in the family particularly young age they really need the support from family. 2-As a colleague support them by giving them convinient environment if he/she is insulin user, dont ask any question if he/she is not willing to take sweet deserts/ dont ask multiple questions when he/she is having multiple visits to wash room. 3-As a Dr support them by giving complete education and counsel them that they can have good quality of life if they strictly follow ur advices and dont take free suggestions from all relatives and friends

Education and awareness on regular checks, stress management, treatment adherence and foot care are important to provide a foundation for self care. Its important the make the patient feel confident and self assured to take care of themselves. A good understanding of the condition is important in building self esteem/ efficacy.

I have some older patients who destroyed their support system with the families and friends as they range between 65 and 80 year olds. They have gone through all the diabetic complication

Celebrating the achievements and progress of diabetic patients is not just a form of recognition; it's a transformative tool in the journey towards sustained self-management. It's about creating a positive, uplifting environment where every milestone, no matter how small, becomes a cause for celebration. In this culture of acknowledgment, individuals find not just motivation but a sense of pride and ownership in their health journey, fostering a sustainable commitment to self-care.

Transitions in care need to be addressed and supported. As patients shift from chronic to acute conditions, recognition and appropriate actions to take are necessary. Other transitions, such as pregnancy but also as long term diabetic complications develop (i.e. visual impairment) will require medicaiton adjustments as well as adjustments to slef management (nutrition, daily activity, etc).

Person-centered diabetes care needs to be considered. Diabetic patients need the knowledge, motivation, skills and confidence to take care of themselves since they are the first in line for their own health management.

Train them.. Yes you read right! Apart from education& supporting yes they really need constant training with healthcare professional. Thats what Diabetes TeleCare is doing providing constant trainings to patients to understand the daily variations in blood glucose level and its management accordingly.