Posted on Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Testing blood sugar levels, managing medications, counting carbs and sticking to an exercise routine — there are no “days off” when you’re living with diabetes. To help keep the condition in check, people living with diabetes need to maintain a daily regimen to ward off serious complications, including kidney and heart disease.
Support can come from different places for individuals to help manage their condition — imagine three concentric circles and a person with diabetes in the middle.
Circle 1: Family and friends
People living with diabetes need encouragement, assistance and accountability. Because family and friends are many times physically and emotionally close, they’re the best people for the job. What does that look like? It’s different for everyone, but it could mean being a workout buddy, helping keep track of blood sugar testing schedules, sharing in healthy meal prep, or just offering a shoulder to lean on during the toughest days.
Circle 2: Care team
Having a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, nurses and dietitians to work with gives people living with diabetes the medical and educational support they need to move from diagnosis through treatment and onto daily management. Dietitians are a crucial part of any diabetes care team. They can help patients with:
- Confirming correct medication use
- Ensuring nutritional needs are being met
- Encouraging regular medical check-ups and HbA1c testing
- Reinforcing compliance with lifestyle changes
Circle 3: Community programs
With more than 37 million Americans living with diabetes, there are many support services available to them: from educational programs and tool kits to support groups. Some of the most popular programs are meal delivery services that ship diabetes-friendly meals right to the home, making it easy for people living with diabetes to get the right nutrition.
Government plans offer home-delivered meals
Health plans and Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans now include home-delivered meals as a benefit to help members with chronic diseases including diabetes.
- 0.25 point drop in A1c
- 3.9-pound average weight loss
- 84% fewer inpatient visits
- 41% fewer ER visits
- 66% fewer readmissions
When they’re surrounded with the right support and have a clear understanding of their condition, people living with diabetes can manage effectively and thrive. Mom’s Meals is proud to support people living with diabetes by offering diabetes-friendly meals, delivered to homes nationwide. See our diabetes-friendly menus.