Diabetes educators play a vital role in improving diabetes care and education, and their work is recognized during National Diabetes Month, which takes place in November.
What is a diabetes educator?
A diabetes educator or diabetes care and education specialist (DCES) is a healthcare professional. A DCES may be a nurse, dietitian, pharmacist, exercise physiologist, social worker or more. DCES may be found in hospitals, doctor offices, nursing homes, public health, or the community. DCES may be part of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team, or they may work solo. Some DCES achieve advanced credentialing through certification and become Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. For all the possible differences, a DCES’s primary focus is to support people with diabetes or at risk of diabetes (prediabetes) live successfully with diabetes and associated conditions.
What do diabetes educators teach?
The DCES’s approach to learning about diabetes comes from the integration of 7-Self-care behaviors:
- Healthy coping
- Healthy eating
- Being active
- Taking medication(s)
- Monitoring
- Problem-solving
- Risk reduction
While you may think each of the above topics are “stand alone” education areas, the truth is you can’t talk about one without referring to all the others. For example:
Mary has just been diagnosed with diabetes. All she knows about diabetes is from watching a family member suffer and ultimately die an early death from it. While the doctor referred her to education classes, the DCES recognizes Mary must deal with what she believes about diabetes before she can begin to make changes to produce better health outcomes. Mary tells the DCES she’s a “stress eater” and has gained weight since the doctor’s appointment.
The DCES understood. Then the DCES shared some of the differences between now and years past. The DCES reassured Mary that there was no reason why Mary couldn’t have a normal healthy life. The DCES points to pictures on the wall of people who had diabetes. On the wall the DCES had photos of people from babies to senior citizens . . . none of these people “wanted” diabetes but they didn’t let it stop them from following their dreams and aspirations. The photos included gold medal Olympians, beauty queens, professional athletes, musicians, actors, and everyday people like Mary and the DCES. As the discussion included life’s little unexpected events and the options we have, Mary began to feel better about the diabetes.
Life can be complicated and so can diabetes. Most people don’t throw in the towel on life, and they shouldn’t throw in the towel with diabetes.
Diabetes educators or DCES work to make the overwhelming changes associated with diabetes easier. Each DCES is similar in diabetes management yet unique in how they share it. Don’t expect the DCES to “tell you what to do.” DCES are more mentors or a coach sharing strategies vs issuing demands. Expect the DCES to support the person with diabetes in shared decision-making to improve glucose management, reduce the risks of diabetes, and reduce the day-to-day stressors of living with a chronic illness.
A diagnosis of diabetes can be troubling. Trying to learn about diabetes by yourself can be problematic. Know that diabetes care and education specialists can support you on your journey. Reach out to your healthcare provider for a referral to a DCES. You will be so glad you did!