Diabetes Education Program

Our Diabetes Education Center educates and promotes self-management skills for all types of people living with diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious disease in which the body does not use glucose (sugar) normally from the food you eat. This causes sugar to become too high in the blood stream. 

Types of diabetes

The two main types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. In Type 1 diabetes the body does not produce insulin, a hormone needed to move sugar from the bloodstream into the cells where it is used for energy.

In Type 2 diabetes, your body does not respond to insulin properly, causing blood sugar levels to rise. It is the most common form of diabetes. Other types of diabetes include:

  • Pre-diabetes
  • Gestational: diabetes that occurs during pregnancy
  • Latent Auto Immune Diabetes in Adults (LADA)
  • Maturity Onset of Diabetes in the Young (MODY)
  • Type 3c

How do I know if I have diabetes?

Signs and symptoms of diabetes may include:

  • Extreme thirst
  • Frequent urination
  • Weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Frequent skin, bladder or gum infections
  • Irritability
  • Wounds that don’t heal
  • Extreme, unexplained tiredness

Some people with Type 2 diabetes have no symptoms. This form of diabetes can develop so slowly that it may not be noticed.

Meeting the challenges of diabetes

Living with diabetes can be challenging. The diabetes team at King’s Daughters can teach you to control your diabetes instead of your diabetes controlling you.
Our Diabetes Education program covers topics including:

  • What is diabetes and how is it treated?
  • Meal planning
  • Physical activity
  • Monitoring blood sugar
  • Preventing, detecting and treating acute/chronic complications
  • Using medications safely
  • Assisting with changes to improve lifestyle
  • Dealing with the concerns of having diabetes  

Whether you are newly diagnosed or have had diabetes for years, you will benefit from education. People living with diabetes are encouraged to bring a supportive spouse, relative or friend.

Better control, better health

The best outcomes occur when you work with a diabetes team. Our team of health professionals can help you avoid complications such as:

  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Nerve damage
  • Kidney failure
  • Blindness
  • Increased risk of infections
  • Foot ulcers

In addition to your provider, your diabetes team includes diabetes nurse educators and registered dietitians. 

How do I get started? 

Ask your provider to refer you to the King’s Daughters Diabetes Education Center. Most health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid (Ky. and Ohio), cover diabetes education when services are prescribed by a healthcare provider.

Need help with a referral? We are happy to help! Call (606) 408-1540 or 1-877-800-4662.

Resources

PreventT2 Program 

One out of three American adults has prediabetes, and most of them do not know it. Having prediabetes means your blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This raises your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Without weight loss or moderate physical activity, many people with prediabetes can develop type 2 diabetes within five years. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to health issues such as heart attack; stroke; blindness; kidney failure; or loss of toes, feet, or legs.

The lifestyle changes you make in the PreventT2 program will help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

You may have prediabetes and be at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:

Are 45 years of age or older:

  • Are overweight
  • Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
  • Are physically active fewer than three times a week
  • Ever had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds

If you have prediabetes or other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, it’s time to take charge of your health. The PreventT2 lifestyle change program can help you make lasting changes to prevent type 2 diabetes.

With the PreventT2 program you get aA free, weekly online meeting with healthcare professionals, along with:

  • CDC-approved curriculum
  • The skills you need to lose weight, be more physically active, and manage stress
  • A trained lifestyle coach to guide and encourage you
  • Support from other participants with the same goals as you—and fun

A year-long program with weekly meetings for the first six months, then once or twice a month for the second six months 
 
Make a change—start today!
If you think you may be at risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes:

  • Talk to your health care provider and ask to be tested for prediabetes. The health care provider may do a simple blood test.
  • If you don’t have a health care provider, contact to find out if you qualify for the program. 

Take the “Could You Have Prediabetes?” online quiz. If your score shows you are at high risk for prediabetes, talk to your healthcare provider or contact our program at the number below to learn more about the PreventT2 lifestyle change program.

This program is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This proven program can help you make modest lifestyle changes and cut your risk of type 2 diabetes by more than half.

Call our office at 606-408-1542.
 
 

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