Give Your Clients a Diabetes Wake Up Call
On March 27, the American Diabetes Association will launch a one-day "wake-up" call to inform the pubic about the serious consequences of untreated and undiagnosed diabetes. American Diabetes Alert Day will encourage those at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes to get screened.
Interested in the latest trends for diabetes and who among your clientele could be at risk? Consider the following statistics:
- Type 2 diabetes is associated with lifestyle, and obesity plays an important role. As a result, nearly 21 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes — and many are not aware they have diabetes.
- Among the primary risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, older than age 45 and having a family history of diabetes.
- Often, type 2 diabetes only becomes evident when people develop one or more of its serious complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye damage and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.
- Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease and has no cure.
Diabetes, in fact, is associated with many conditions. Complications with diabetes can manifest with heart disease, high blood pressure and neuropathy that causes loss of sensation. Diabetic ulcers and amputations are common in those who do not get control over their glucose levels.
New studies have also linked diabetes to sleep apnea.
As a result of these complications, diabetic clients might require more than just a glucose monitor, lancets and test strips. In fact, diabetic clients might require diabetic foot wear, special cushions and support surfaces, mobility equipment such as walkers, rollators and scooters, and CPAPs.
To help ease the burden for glucose monitoring, the latest devices allow users to take small samples of blood and opt for alternate site testing. Many monitors on the market also offer directions in English or Spanish and large displays to easily read and track results.
Encourage clients to take a quick online quiz to determine if they are at risk at www.diabetes.org/risk-test.
For more information about diabetes and the co-morbidities associated with the condition, such as sleep apnea, read the April story on Treating the Diabetic Client in Home Health Products
This article originally appeared in the March 2007 issue of HME Business.