Living with diabetes means learning a lot, and you don’t have to figure it all out alone! Diabetes education and support are designed to empower you to live your healthiest life.
What is Diabetes Education?
Diabetes education, also known as diabetes self-management education (DSME), is a way to gain the skills and knowledge you need to develop healthy habits for managing your diabetes. It’s not a one-size-fits-all plan; it’s tailored just for you. This means you’ll learn about your specific type of diabetes and how it fits into your life. DSME can help you understand your diabetes and support you in meeting your goals.
As your life changes, so do your learning needs relating to your diabetes. Maybe you start a new job, move to a new area, develop a food allergy, or just notice that managing healthy food and medicine costs is getting tricky. Even your personal beliefs or other health challenges can shift what you need to know. Whenever life throws you a curveball, DSME helps you gain new knowledge, skills and insights to better manage your diabetes.
Finding Your Education and Support
You will often be referred or encouraged to attend a diabetes education program when you are newly diagnosed. However, you should also feel free to seek diabetes education any time you feel you need it. Where to find these programs:
- At your local pharmacist
- At local community health centers
- At your primary care doctor’s office/team
- At your local hospital
- Online through convenient internet-based programs such as Knowing Diabetes
You can join a group class and learn with others or have private one-on-one sessions. Most diabetes education programs offer self-referrals; just ask if you can join.
The Power of Ongoing Support
Learning about diabetes is an important part of diabetes management, but putting that knowledge into practice every single day is where Diabetes Self-Management Support (DSMS) really shines. DSMS helps you apply what you’ve learned so you can make those positive health changes stick. It’s about personalizing your diabetes journey. Research shows DSMS makes a real difference in helping people feel supported.
Support can come in many forms, all designed to help you thrive:
- Peer support: connecting with someone else who has diabetes and understands your experiences
- A community health worker: connecting with a community member that can help you find local services that make life easier, like programs for healthy food or physical activity programs
- A health coach: a trained, possibly health care provider, that can guide you in making and achieving your behavioural goals
Your diabetes team is there to help you develop the skills and confidence to manage your diabetes effectively. Talk to your healthcare team to learn more.
About the author
Diana Sherifali
Diana is a nursing professor at McMaster University and has presented and led many educational, advocacy and research initiatives in Canada and globally. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of self-management strategies to support people living with or impacted by diabetes.
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