Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center to Host Free Diabetes Education Day

On Thursday, August 2, 2019, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center is sponsoring a free diabetes education day. The program will include information on meal planning, medications, exercise, complications, and how to make lifestyle modifications. Speakers are Certified Diabetes Educators Karen Cole, RN, BSN, and Shannon VanHouse, RN, David Nelson, LCSW, Michael Seidman, MD, Jason Demers, PharmD, Gerry Hourihan, PT, and Caitlin Potter, Nutritionist.

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to grow. Diabetes can lead to severe complications such as blindness, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputations, but the occurrence of complications can be reduced with the obtainment of blood pressure control, glucose control, management of blood lipids and regular follow-up.

The August 29 program will begin with free breakfast and registration at 8:00 am, and at noon lunch will be served. The program will end at 3:00 p.m. and is in the Claxton-Hepburn’s Hess Auditorium on Mansion Avenue.

Diabetes self-management education is a critical step in achieving lifestyle modifications to reach healthy outcomes and goals. It focuses on self-care behavior, such as healthy eating, developing an activity regime, blood sugar monitoring, and preventative practices such as yearly eye exams and foot care. It is a collaborative process in which the person works with the diabetes educator to set goals and develop the problem solving and coping skills needed to reach their goals successfully.

If you or a family member has diabetes and would like to learn how to manage the disease more effectively, plan on attending this free program. For more information, or to register, call Cole at 315-713-5181 or VanHouse at 315-713-5116. Your tomorrow is worth defending.