Diabetes Education Resources
417.347.5700
Resources for Navigating Life with Diabetes
Welcome to Freeman Diabetes Education Resource page. This page is to support those who are living life with diabetes and those who are supporting someone living life with diabetes. As part of your diabetes support team we want to provide you with resources and inspiration that makes living with diabetes just a bit easier.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes, including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and pre-diabetes.
Spotlight
One of the first people you will encounter in our office is Rena Schlueter, our Diabetes office coordinator. Rena has been with our office more than 15 years. If you have met Rena, you know she greets you with a smile and will always go out of her way to help.
Rena has diabetes, so she has a great understanding of living life with diabetes. At the time of her diagnosis, Rena said, “I was angry about having diabetes.” She credits her mother for helping her see that the doctors and diabetes educators were there to help her.
Coming to diabetes education was not what Rena wanted to do but with the wisdom of her mother’s words, she came. She learned about managing blood sugars with diet and learned that it is more than limiting just sugar but understanding all carbohydrates impact blood sugar.
She learned about the ADCES 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
• Healthy Coping.
• Healthy Eating.
• Being Active.
• Taking Medication.
• Monitoring.
• Reducing Risk.
• Problem Solving
Rena did not work for our office at the time she came to diabetes education but it is part of what led her to our department. We are so happy that she is a part of our team and she is always encouraging to the patients that come to our services. I believe she holds a special place in her heart for those who feel angry about having diabetes but with education learn it is something they can manage.
Tech Bites
Diabetes technology has evolved over the past century in the early 1900’s to the mid 1960’s people with diabetes tested their urine for sugar. In the 1960s, the finger stick test for blood sugars became available in the physician’s offices. Testing blood sugar with finger stick’s at home has been the standard for monitoring blood sugar for a very long time. In 1999, the FDA approved the first CGM (continuous Glucose monitor) system. Since that time, we have seen the improvement of these systems with better accuracy, easier to wear, and giving data faster therefore making them easier for people with diabetes to use.
These devices have three parts: the sensor, worn below the skin, the transmitter which transmits data, and the receiver that displays the reading for the consumer to see. The newest technology combines the sensor and transmitter together and makes placing them much easier. Smart phone apps can be downloaded on compatible cell phones to receive the data from the transmitter. As this technology has become easier to use we are seeing it as a great resource for people with diabetes to get quick information on their blood sugar levels.
Coverage of these devices vary depending on your diabetes treatment and insurance carriers. There are over the counter CGM now available that can be purchased without a prescription. DexCom has launched its over the counter CGM named Stelo and Abbott’s over the counter CGM is Lingo. These are marketed to people without diabetes that may want to monitor blood sugar for overall health and wellness.
The following links will give you more information on using CGM technology and comparing the different brands that are available.
https://Consumerguide.diabetes.org
https://diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-care/diabetes-technology-guide
https://diabetes.org/advocacy/cgm-continuous-glucose-monitors
417.347.5700
Freeman Diabetes Education Clinic
1532 West 32nd Street
Suite 202
Joplin, MO 64804