Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, a progressive and sometimes fatal disease. While diabetes can be controlled through careful monitoring of blood sugar, food intake, exercise, and medication, it requires intensive management and discipline from the patient.
“Diabetes is a complex illness that requires most patients to make a number of well-informed decisions every day,” said Jennifer Larsen, M.D., chief of endocrinology at UNMC, and medical director of The Nebraska Medical Center’s Diabetes Center. “That’s why we’ve started the Diabetes Dialogue series. The goal is to give patients and their families greater access to reliable medical information in a supportive atmosphere.”
Diabetes Dialogue is a series of monthly meetings open to the public at no charge. The program is sponsored by UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center’s Diabetes Center.
As with any chronic illness, patients with diabetes can feel isolated or alone, and may benefit from a support group. The Diabetes Dialogue meetings go one step further — they not only provide a supportive atmosphere for diabetic patients and their families, they’re also facilitated by a physician or a certified diabetes educator who can provide reliable medical information.
Diabetes Dialogue meetings are the last Tuesday of the month in the Storz Pavillion on The Nebraska Medical Center campus from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Each meeting is led by a health care provider, who leads a brief discussion on topics such as diabetes and your heart, diabetes and exercise, traveling with diabetes, and caring for diabetic feet.
Participants are encouraged to ask questions and suggest topics for future meetings. For more information, call The Nebraska Medical Center’s Diabetes Center at 552-6111.