National Diabetes Month

By admin November 11, 2013 16:28

In observance of National Diabetes Month 2013, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and its partners want you to know that Diabetes is a Family Affair.

Diabetes is a challenging disease that affects the entire family in many ways. If you are living with diabetes or have a loved one with the disease, family support is very important when it comes to managing diabetes and preventing serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage that can lead to amputation. It’s also important to know that if you have a family history of diabetes – such as a mother, father, brother, or sister – you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

NDEP and its partners are working with individuals, families and communities to take action and encourage simple, but important lifestyle changes to improve their health – particularly if they have diabetes or are at risk for the disease.

To help you get started, the NDEP offers many resources to help you make healthy lifestyle changes as a family. The NDEP also has resources that can be used in community settings that are part of the extended family, such as schools, businesses, and the health care community, among others. Some resources include:

4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life shares four steps to help people with diabetes understand, monitor, and manage their diabetes to help them stay healthy.
Help a Loved One with Diabetes provides practical tips for helping a loved one cope with diabetes and things you can do to help.
Family Health History Quiz. Knowing your family health history is important. Take this quiz to learn more about your family history of diabetes.
Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families is a bilingual recipe booklet that can help families make healthy food choices without giving up the foods they love.
Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel is a comprehensive guide to help students with diabetes, their health care team, school staff, and parents work together to help students manage their diabetes safely and effectively in the school setting.