The Diabetes Self Management Training (DSMT) Program is an outpatient program designed for adults with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes.
CHI Saint Joseph Health Diabetes and Nutrition Care program has Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) who work with people who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is a self-manageable disease and the classes are designed to help you understand your disease, control your symptoms, and minimize any long term complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney disease, and/or amputations.
Our Diabetes and Nutrition Care program provides comprehensive diabetes self management training group classes every week at all of our different locations. The classes focus on the four M’s of diabetes care:
Each week you will be given research based dietary education by one of our RDs. We know that one of the first things people start wondering is, "What can I eat?" Living with diabetes doesn't have to mean feeling deprived. We'll help you learn to balance your meals and make the healthiest food choices. There are so many fad diet recommendations and even some from well intentioned medical practitioners. Therefore, during classes we educate patients about:
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to help manage type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes—and you don't even need a prescription for it. But what specific benefits does exercise have for people with diabetes?
One of the most important benefits of exercise for diabetes is that exercise can help manage your blood glucose levels—even hours after you've stopped exercising. Another significant benefit of exercising with diabetes is that it builds muscle. Muscles are the tissues in your body that use the most glucose, and they can help keep blood glucose levels from soaring.
Below are a few of the benefits of exercise for people with diabetes:
People with type 1 diabetes must use insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes can manage their diabetes with healthy eating and exercise. However, your doctor may need to also prescribe oral medications (pills) and/or insulin to help you meet your target blood glucose levels. Everyone with diabetes needs to choose foods wisely and be physically active. The kind of medicine you take depends on your type of diabetes, your schedule, and your other health conditions. Diabetes medicines help keep your blood sugar level within your target range to prevent long term damage.
During class we discuss the blood sugar goals established by the American Diabetes Association for home monitoring. We educate you on the signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment of high and low blood sugar. (send to resource page on hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia) Patients can also bring their blood sugar meter for demonstration on how to use it. We also encourage patients to monitor for patterns related to when they eat and try to discover what foods high in carbohydrate cause their blood sugar levels to go up.
A physician referral is required for all nutrition services to aid with billing coverage. Download a referral form to take to your physician. For questions about billing or additional information, please contact our office at 859.313.2393.
