McDonough District Hospital issued the following announcement on Nov. 14.
The numbers are eye-popping. Among adults living in Illinois one out of two are diabetic or have pre-diabetic symptoms. November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and specifically Wednesday (Nov. 14) is World Diabetes Day. To address this global issue, McDonough District Hospital is currently offering classes for diabetes education. The classes are physician ordered.
The first class of Nutrition for Diabetes is held the first Tuesday of the month from 3:30-5 p.m. The second class titled Understanding Diabetes is held the third Wednesday of the month from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. A quarterly group for Long Term Management meet the second Tuesday of each quarter from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
For more information on the cost of the classes (based on insurance coverage), location, or to sign up call (309) 836-1631. MDH’s Diabetes Education Center has been a recognized program by the American Diabetes Association since 2002.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 86 million American adults have prediabetes – and 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes do not even know they have it. Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Those with prediabetes have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
“Diabetes type 2 is a preventative disease and it’s reversible in the early stages. Don’t give up hope if you have been diagnosed with diabetes,” said Dr. Weili Zhang of the MDH Family Clinic. “Lifestyle changes can make a huge difference in how diabetes progresses and how much medication you need to take. You can have control over diabetes if you put effort into it. The choice is yours.”
Eating healthier and being more active can cut someone’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 50 percent.
For those with diabetes, Medicare and most insurance companies will cover instruction with a doctor’s order. Medicare pays for 10 hours of diabetes self-management training education initially, and an additional two hours each year after that. Medicare also pays for three hours of medical nutritional therapy initially and then two hours each year after.
Services offered in the Diabetes Education Center include:
Individualized Instruction and Education
Meal planning guidelines
Carbohydrate counting
Lifestyle changes and goals
Basic understanding of diabetes
Education on Type 1, Type 2, gestational, and glucose intolerance
Benefits of exercise for those with diabetes
Blood glucose monitoring
And more
Original source can be found here.
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