Diabetes Self-Management Program

The Valley Regional Hospital Diabetes Self-Management Program can help you gain the skills, knowledge, and abilities to care for your diabetes. It gives people the tools they need to manage their own blood sugar. The rewards are fewer symptoms, reduced complications and an improved quality of life.

The Diabetes Self-Management Program is certified by the American Diabetes Association.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder in which the body does not make proper use of sugar. You can develop diabetes at various stages in lives including childhood, adolescence, adulthood and pregnancy. It can often be controlled by diet, exercise and sometimes medication. By keeping blood sugar within a safe range, serious complications can be minimized or avoided. Over the last few decades, diabetes has become more common with more than 18 million Americans living with this condition.

Individualized Care

At Valley Regional Hospital’s Diabetes Self-Management Program, a nurse reviews your medical history, health status, risk factors, diabetes knowledge, culture, beliefs and behavior. We then develop treatment goals and plans specifically designed to help you monitor and manage your illness.

Nutrition Counseling

Through medical nutrition therapy, you will learn a new way to think about food and diabetes. Its focus is not onwhat you can’t eat, but on what you can eat and how much.  We want to help make eating a pleasurable experience.

Educational Options

• Diabetes Support Group offers suggestions
  on better dietary choices, shares recipes, introduces guests speakers, and up-to-date information on new diabetes maintenance and treatments.
• Individual appointments are available for patients with language, vision, hearing, and some skill needs.  Other circumstances may also make learning best in an individual environment.
  

Diabetes Self-Management Areas

• General facts:  Provides an overview of the various types of diabetes, risks, signs and symptoms and a variety of treatments available for diabetes.
• Nutrition: A healthy diet can help you to keep diabetes under control. Learn how food affects diabetes, as well as the latest recommendations in meal planning, label reading, and eating out.
• Medication: When diet and exercise are not enough, medication is prescribed to help control diabetes. Your diabetes counselor will review all available drugs and how they work, as well as potential side effects and precautions.
• Monitoring blood sugar: Diabetes control is determined by measuring the level of sugar in a patient’s blood. Information is provided on types and features of meters, blood sugar goals, when to test, and what to do with the results.
• High and low blood sugar: Both high and low blood sugar is a problem for the people with diabetes. We explain how to recognize, treat, and prevent blood sugar problems.
• Immediate and long-term complications: Our main focus is on early recognition, treatment and prevention. Two large diabetes studies show that the risk of complications can be decreased.
• Stress: Stress can be a major problem for patients with diabetes. Participants will learn how to reduce the effects of stress on diabetes control.
• Exercise: Learn how regularly planned exercise can reduce the risk of heart complications and make you feel more in control of your life.
• Preventive care: Learn the American Diabetes Association’s recommendations for self-care.

Support Group

FREE Diabetes Support Group sessions:

• Second Tuesday of the month at 11:00 AM at Partners in Health in Newport, NH
• Fourth Tuesday of the month at 11:00