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In This Issue:
Gloria Savory, left, and Sandra Filgate review diabetes education materials in the Kessler Library.
Up to 33 percent of adults in the U.S. could have diabetes by 2050, according to recent estimates by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At BWH, health care providers are doing their best to keep that grim prediction from becoming a reality by educating patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes and prediabetes, the state that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.
“With prediabetes, our goal is to prevent people from developing type II diabetes,” said Phil Goldsmith, MD, a primary care provider at BWH. “It takes a certain amount of time to do this, and a certain amount of expertise.”
Kathy McManus, MS, RD, LDN, director of the Department of Nutrition, agrees.
“Lifestyle changes can’t be made in one short visit with a health care provider. They take a while to germinate,” she said. “Research studies have shown that success is achieved through lifestyle interventions and behavior changes that patients can adhere to over the long run.”
BWH offers two diabetes education courses—a weekly prediabetes class and a monthly diabetes group. Both are open to all BWH patients and staff.
“We wanted to support our community of patients, staff and health care providers and give them the resources they need to prevent them from developing diabetes, or to manage their disease,” said Rita McCarthy, NP, diabetes educator.
The prediabetes course, which is led by dietetic interns, rotates through four topics: Healthy eating and calorie balance; carbohydrates; physical activity; and how to read the food label and eat healthy away from home.
“It’s all about providing support to people trying to maintain healthy lifestyles,” said McManus.
The diabetes class, McCarthy says, is less structured than the prediabetes class. It is designed to be an informal support session, where attendees can talk about obstacles they face or things they have learned about living with diabetes.
“We have the benefit of having people in the class who have lived with diabetes for a long time, and also people who are newly diagnosed,” McCarthy said.
Gloria Savory has been a patient at BWH for 12 years and has attended the diabetes class for two years. “It gives you new ideas,” she said. “There were things I did before that I didn’t know were bad. Now I know how to do things like cook eggs with oil instead of butter, and it only takes a small amount.”
Sandra Filgate was diagnosed with diabetes in February 2007 and started attending the class when it was created in October of that year. “I like the people so much, and I get a lot of information I can use,” she said, explaining that members in the group recently helped her determine which medic alert bracelet was the right choice for her.
“Everybody gives their own opinions, but it’s the best way to learn things,” said Savory.
The diabetes class meets the second Thursday of every month, and the prediabetes class meets Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. Both meetings are held in the Kessler Library.