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Diabetes fatigue or burnout is identifiable from the mental and physical exhaustion exhibited by the person with diabetes. They may feel detached from their condition and apathetic to the need for self-care. This burnout can be as brief as hours and as long as years. Sometimes this person may be mislabeled by caregivers as non-compliant.
Sometimes this person may be wrongly labeled by caregivers as non-compliant.
As health care professionals, we know that living with diabetes is no simple task: checking blood sugar, taking medication, choosing the right foods and/or dosing based on food choice, increasing physical activity, all the while balancing life and relationships. Identifying signs of burnout and helping people with diabetes to avoid or cope with the burnout is essential to caring for them. HealthDay News has given great examples and tips on how to do this:
Read more at HealthDay News.
See our Psychosocial Care and Assessment Resource Page
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]To be honest. the vaccination recommendations for diabetes have been shrouded in a veil of mystery for me, until this year.
Thankfully, the 2022 ADA Standards are wonderfully clear in describing the vaccination schedule and types for people living with diabetes. We created this simple chart that you are free to download and share with your colleagues and in your work setting.
Even though these vaccine recommendations are well established, I thought it would be interesting to find out what percentage of people actually get the complete compliment of recommended vaccinations.
According to the CDC data, among those with diagnosed diabetes, the vaccination coverage for influenza, pneumococcal, and shingles was lowest among lower income adults and varied by race and ethnicity. Hepatitis B vaccination coverage was lowest among poor adults, and it decreased with age.
As diabetes specialists, we can have a significant impact on encouraging people with diabetes to receive these important vaccinations. We can work within our health care systems to establish systems and surveillance to monitor vaccine participation. Partnering with community health workers and liaisons can create bridges to increase vaccination rates.
Vaccination Rates for People with Diabetes:
Given that most experts predict that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) and influenza viruses will both be active in the U.S. during the 2021–2022 season, getting the influenza vaccine is especially important.
Most people don’t know that getting the Influenza vaccine decreases risk of death.
New data is revealing that the influenza vaccine doesn’t just lower the risk of getting the flu, it also lowers risk of all cause mortality and cardiovascular events and death. This simple annual intervention is recommended for all individuals with diabetes 6 months and older.
See Table 4.5 in ADA Standard 4, 2022 for complete info
This library of critical information is designed for individuals or groups of diabetes specialists, including RNs, RDs, Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physician Assistants, and other health care providers interested in staying up to date on current practices of care for people with diabetes and preparing for the BC-ADM or the CDCES certification Exam.
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. We post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
We’re updating our DiabetesEd Boot Camp throughout February and March. See full schedule here.
In each webinar, Coach Beverly highlights the critical content of each topic area, so you can focus your study time most efficiently. She also launches multiple poll questions to helps students focus on key concepts and assess their knowledge while learning the best test-taking strategies.
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
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A study done by the department of neurology at Mokdong Hospital at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea analyzed data from over 160,000 people who had no history of heart failure or atrial fibrillation. Information collected during the study included weight, height, lifestyle questionnaires, lab tests, oral health disease, dental visits in the past year, and oral hygiene behaviors.
All study participants were examined for periodontal disease. Of all participants present, 3% developed atrial fibrillation and 4.9% developed heart failure after a follow up 10.5 years later.
The study found that people who frequently brushed their teeth (3 or more times per day) had a lower risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Getting teeth professionally cleaned also lessened risked of these problems.
More research is needed to see if there is a causal relationship. However, recommending active oral hygiene is always a great idea!
Read more here.
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]January 25th marks the first day of Chinese New Year, and 2020 is the year of the rat: the first of the zodiac animals. The Rat is meant to represent diligence and thriftiness. Diabetes Education Services wishes everyone happiness and prosperity in this new year!
Join us for our free BC-ADM webinar on January 30 @ 11:30 a.m. PST to benefit from free practice questions and test taking strategies:
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Researchers may have developed a way for parents to avoid having to prick their babies with type 1 to check blood sugar. A sugar sensing pacifier collects saliva, tests the glucose levels, and wirelessly sends result to a receiver which the parent or caregiver can see.
This device was tested on adults first to see if the concept would work. Initial results were positive, showing changes in saliva sugar levels which corresponded to changes in blood sugar levels. Researchers noted that there was great correlation in the study and that they were able to tell when blood glucose was high with great accuracy.
The small parts involved in the pacifier, and the fact that saliva was tested after adults were instructed to brush their teeth (unlikely to be replicated in infants), may be barriers to a patent and this device getting on the market. Researchers are hopeful to find ways to overcome these and be able to offer the market a truly non-invasive option for babies with type 1.
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Expert Interview with Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE President of Sweet People Club
I heard a researcher at a national conference go on and on about needing to screen the daughters of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) for diabetes since there is a strong link between PCOS and type 2. She never discussed the population of women that have the highest rates of PCOS – lesbians (38% of lesbians have PCOS vs. 14% of heterosexual women1). So I went up to the mic and asked her if she was aware of Agrawal’s work showing lesbians have the highest rate of PCOS. I was flabbergasted when she said yes. I responded she might want to include that most vulnerable population in her talk as we need to screen all women at risk.
It got me thinking about how could a well-known professor at a national diabetes conference willingly withhold data about an under-served population? So, I began to comb through the existing research that impacts the LGBTQ community with regards to diabetes care and prevention. And I was astonished what I found. So, I wrote the article and was so glad the ADA published it. But why wasn’t this part of the conversation back then? Even now? And I still ask, why won’t ADA reply to my inquiries to include this special population within their Standards of Care?
Actually take steps to include this special population. I think there are several opportunities to do this, starting with making sure their environment gives clues that it is a safe place for the LGBTQ community to seek care. Remember, this community is used to outright hostility from within the healthcare system and are often reluctant to self-disclose out of fear for getting substandard care. I once worked with a man with type 1 diabetes who was gay tell me that his endocrinologist told him he deserved every low he got, and that when he’d go to the emergency department, they refused for his husband to be by his side And that happened in the gay mecca of San Francisco! Imagine other “less tolerant” places.
If they see you don’t have a clue because you have old forms with old terms, they most likely won’t come out. And if they don’t come out, then you don’t have all the data to make an individualized plan. So, you can check your assessment forms to see if you use inclusive terms. Do you actually ask for LGBTQ status by asking for sexual orientation, gender identification and relationship status (not marital status)? And collect the aggregate data! Just because it’s not measured doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Do you have clues in your waiting room that it’s safe and friendly for this group (like post a little rainbow flag)? Do you include LGBTQ risk factors for health outcomes in your materials? Do you tell people you are here to help everyone, no matter their situation or who they’re with? I realize change is slow, but collectively as individuals, and nationally, we can make it a better place for this underserved population.
Because if you don’t even know a certain segment of those you care for have unique risk factors, and arguably worse – you have no clue who that vulnerable population is in your practice – you aren’t doing all you can to provide quality care to all you serve. It’s estimated that the number of LGBTQ individuals with diabetes equals that of the amount of people with type 1, so it’s not a small number we’re talking about. As an example, let’s apply this to Social Determinants of Health. We talk about the research showing how your zip code has more to do with your health than your DNA, particularly as it relates to food insecurity. But did you know LGBTQ individuals and families have the highest rates of food insecurity? Why isn’t that research included in diabetes mainstream publications and conferences?
According to research presented by the Williams Institute2, more than 1 in 4 LGBTQ adults (27%), approximately 2.2 million people, experienced a time in the last year when they did not have enough money to feed themselves or their families, compared to 17% of non-LGBTQ adults.
And when you add racial/ethnic sub-populations within the LGBTQ community, the stats are staggering:
Thank you! I am so excited to see our national organization pay attention to the LGBTQ population and help get the word out about what we can do. I think because they are interested in us being the best diabetes care and education specialist that we can and including everyone is part of that. I had also just spoken at the AADE conference in Houston. We had a panel of professionals and researchers that represented the LGBTQ community. (I had spoken previously at AADE, but that was just by myself and this last time was so special.) I’m truly impressed with how much research that has transpired in these 10 years.
I’d say that a willingness to learn is so important. As is recognizing one’s personal biases. We certainly don’t agree with the lifestyles of all we serve, but it is not our role to judge or let those biases interfere with helping someone find a path to thriving with diabetes. And just know, it takes time to get up to speed. I’d encourage readers to check out the AADE handout and watch this funny video clip that a colleague sent me. Honestly, it is hard to keep up with the terms, even for someone like me who helped to get this topic on the diabetes radar. This video made me crack up and appreciate the nuance of all the terms. I bet your audience would like it too. You can check out the “What “The Sex Talk” Looks Like Now, by Alternatino. Thanks so much, Beverly, for your willingness to discuss the topic. I truly hope it helps your readers improve their care delivery.
Ms. Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE trail-blazed several innovations in the field of diabetes in the years that followed being awarded the national Diabetes Educator of the Year by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (2004).
Her latest efforts involve trying to reach people with prediabetes and type 2 who are currently not being reached with our face-to-face programs. How? She created the Sweet People Club an all online program which uses a flipped classroom concept so people can follow the Diabetes Prevention Program and also manage type 2 through a series of professionally-made videos (ahem, nearly 150 of them!) that they can watch at a time that is convenient for them, then ask questions through the portal, as well as meet virtually face-to-face real time with a Registered Dietitian twice a month.
If you’d like access to experience what the program is like, she is sharing her work and invites your feedback. Visit https://www.sweetpeopleclub.com/pro/ or email her for questions at [email protected]
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[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. We post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
This brand new course airs January 28, 2020 @ 1:00 p.m. PST and is able to be purchased individually or as part of the Level 4 bundle.
Enroll to earn 2.0 CEs and a detailed overview of the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, prevention strategies and cardiovascular risk reduction, and more! Read full description here.
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
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