What is a Diabetes Mentor?
A Diabetes Mentor is a person with diabetes who has the cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal skills to assist a patient in adapting the behavioral demands necessary to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle through ongoing, beneficial self-care behaviors. These mentoring skills comprise a history of strong self-efficacy in maintaining the discipline of self-care that leads to:
A Diabetes Mentor must also have the ability and willingness to communicate these skills in an empathetic and realistic fashion in individual face-to-face meetings or through virtual correspondence.
How does a Diabetes Mentor function?
Diabetes Mentors will be deployed within the mentoring network and put into contact with collaborating with “peers”. Peers are individuals who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes or, who have had the disease for a long time but have not been able to adopt the necessary behaviors to achieve the desirable long-term outcomes.
Will a Diabetes Mentor make medical decisions?
No. The Diabetes Mentor is not a replacement for the physician or the diabetes educator – he/she will not be involved in the medical patient care nor take on the role of the professional diabetes educator. Diabetes Mentors will become part of the team that provides care to people with diabetes.
How can I become a Diabetes Mentor?
Peers for Progress is in the process of developing the training curriculum for becoming a Diabetes Mentor. Please contact Kelly Wiens to let her know of your interest. Call 800-274-2237, ext. 4458 or email to kwiens@aafp.org
How do I contact a Diabetes Mentor?
Peers for Progress is in the process of creating its global network of Diabetes Mentors. We do not have mentors available at this time. Please contact Kelly Wiens to let her know of your interest. Call 800-274-2237, ext. 4458 or email to kwiens@aafp.org
