Grant Regional | aspire to live well | Winter 2022

D I A B E T E S C A R E AND E DU C AT I ON Take charge of your diabetes GET THE EXPERTS ON YOUR SIDE There is no cure for diabetes, but you can manage it and live well. Contact your primary care provider or Tracy Roesch, MS, RD, CDCES, CD, RCEP, at 608-723-3272 if you’d like to set up an appointment. Medicare and most health insurance plans cover diabetes education when it is offered through an accredited diabetes education program. Grant Regional Health Center is accredited by the American Diabetes Association. Do you have diabetes? Does managing it seem overwhelming? We can help. Tracy Roesch, MS, RD, CDCES, CD, RCEP, the diabetes care and education spe- cialist at Grant Regional Health Center, wants to help you develop a diabetes management plan that fits your lifestyle, beliefs and culture. She can help im- prove your self-care skills to: Eat healthier. Be more active. Monitor glucose readings. Take medications. Solve problems. Cope with the emotional side of diabetes. Reduce the risk of other health problems. The diabetes education specialist can also help you understand how to use devices like glucometers, insulin pens, insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems. She can show you how to use the informa- tion from the monitoring devices to identify patterns and opportunities for improvement. You’ll work together to find solutions to address your biggest challenges. Beneficial for people with all types of diabetes Diabetes education provided by a dia- betes care and education specialist can help people with all types of diabetes better manage their blood glucose lev- els, develop coping skills to address the daily challenges of the disease, reduce the risks for complications, decrease costs by reducing or eliminating the need for medications and emergency room visits, and help find and access cost-saving programs. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabe- tes see a diabetes care and education specialist at four critical times: 1 When newly diagnosed with diabetes. 2 For a yearly re-evaluation. 3 When a new challenge presents itself, such as financial or emotional distress or medication issues. 4 When there are changes in health care, such as physician, insurance, mov- ing to a new location or experiencing age-related issues. 7 WINTER 2022