Train Peer Supporters

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(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
1. Healthy Eating

What is it?
Healthy eating refers to eating a variety of food for a balanced diet, and includes making healthy food choices, understanding the ideal portion sizes, and meal frequency.

Why is it important?
Healthy eating helps manage blood sugar and reduce other risks for diabetes-related complications, such as elevated blood lipids and high blood pressure.

Learn more about healthy eating and diabetes management from the following resources:

• The University of Michigan Health System has information for people with diabetes on how to use a food guide pyramid and how to use a plate format for eating.
• The American Diabetes Association (ADA) contains a Guide to Eating Out for people with diabetes.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on healthy eating.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on healthy eating to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers nutrition handouts called, "Ordering fast food wisely" and "A journey of thousand miles"
• Nutrition Goal Setting Form is a handout sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Diabetes Initiative that assists people with diabetes in setting nutritional goals.
• The Healthy Eating section of the Diabetes Initiative includes multiple patient education materials on nutrition.
• My Food Advisor is an interactive nutrition education website from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) that assists with meal planning and offers healthy eating tips.
• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) provides education modules on healthy eating.

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
2. Being Active

What is it?
Being active (physical activity) looks different for each person, depending on age, interests, and physical ability. Physical activity includes gardening, walking, biking, swimming, bowling, dancing, cleaning the house, walking the dog - the list goes on and on.

Why is it important?
Being active helps condition the heart, lungs, and muscles, and even improves skin tone, weight-control, and energy. For people with diabetes, exercise may improve blood sugar levels by helping the body to better use insulin and food.

Learn more about being active and diabetes management from the following resources:

• The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse has a Q&A resource with information on physical activity and diabetes.
• The BD Diabetes learning center includes general information about exercise and diabetes.
• "Don't Let Diabetes Get in Your Way" is an article from the American Diabetes Association about getting started in a physical activity routine.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on being active.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on being active to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers a handout called, "Exercise is Good for You"
• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) provides education modules on physical activity.
• "All About Physical Activity for People with Diabetes" is a toolkit from the American Diabetes Association and includes tips for starting and making an exercise plan.
• Johns Hopkins Medicine offers a Diabetes Special Report called Diabetes and Exercise - Keeping Your Blood Glucose Levels in Check with the information on the ways to prevent blood sugar level from dropping during exercise

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
3. Blood Sugar Monitoring

What is it?
Blood sugar monitoring involves using a device to regularly check blood sugar levels, which can help keep track of blood sugar level fluctuations throughout the day and inform if action needs to be taken to maintain levels as close to normal (70- 120 mg/dl) as possible.

Why is it important?
Recording blood sugar levels gives insight into how medicines, physical activity, illness, stress, and other activities affect blood sugar daily. Blood sugar levels that are too high or too low can have serious complications

Learn more about blood sugar monitoring from the following resources:

• The "All About Diabetes - Self Monitoring" section from Medical News Today offers tips and instructions for blood sugar monitoring and even has a "how-to" video.
• Familydoctor.org has a section on monitoring your blood sugar levels that includes general information and an instructional video.
• The University of Michigan Health System has information for people with diabetes on how to do a home blood-glucose test.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on monitoring blood sugar.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on blood sugar monitoring to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers handouts on blood sugar monitoring.
• "If You Have Diabetes...Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers" is a handout from the National Diabetes Education Program for people with diabetes, explaining A1C testing and daily blood sugar monitoring.
• The Changing Life with Diabetes website contains tips for overcoming barriers to self-monitoring of blood glucose.

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
4. Taking Medication

What is it?
People with type 2 diabetes may need to take pills or insulin to lower blood glucose levels and manage their diabetes. Diabetes medication works best when used regularly and in combination with healthy eating and physical activity.

Why is it important?
It is important for people with diabetes to understand how to take medications properly, what to do in case of hypoglycemia, and how to overcome barriers to adherence.

Learn more about taking medication for diabetes from the following resources:

• The American Diabetes Association has information for people with diabetes on general diabetes medication information.
• The American Diabetes Association contains general information on oral medications for diabetes.
• Diabetes Self Management, a magazine for people with diabetes, contains an article on oral medicines for type 2 diabetes.
• Overcoming barriers to taking medication is a topic covered on the Changing Life with Diabetes website.
• Diabetes Drug Information can be found on My Diabetes Central, a website for people with diabetes.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on taking medication.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on taking medication to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) provides education modules on taking insulin and other medications for diabetes.
• Taking Insulin and Using an Insulin Pump are articles and how-to videos from Medical News Today.

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
5. Problem Solving

What is it?
People with diabetes need to be able to navigate both emergencies and challenges with the small details of daily diabetes management. Solving problems, no matter how large or small they are, involves clear-headed thinking and determination.

Why is it important?
Obstacles in diabetes self-management are encountered every day, so it is very important to know how to find solutions for unexpected problems. Daily problems or stressors can put the body under stress and result in dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

Learn more about problem solving in diabetes management from the following resources:

• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on problem solving.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on problem solving to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers a handout called, "Balancing Better," about solving problems in order to keep blood sugar levels normal
• This resource from the New Health Partnerships website provides problem solving steps adapted from the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program for patients developed by Kate Lorig at Stanford University.
• Staying on Track resource from the New Health Partnerships website helps to learn vital skills to stay motivated, dealing with ups and downs, turning around negative thoughts, dealing with difficult emotions, coping with special situations.

• Problem Solving, an article from Changing Life with Diabetes, is about knowing what to do when things go wrong.

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
6. Reducing Risks

What is it?
People with diabetes are at higher risk to develop some complications, such as circulatory problems and infections. Many activities can help reduce that risk, such as quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure and foot care.

Why is it important?
Poorly managed diabetes can lead to short term problems and long term complications. Reducing risks can help improve quality and quantity of life for people with diabetes.

Learn more about reducing risks from the following resources:

• The American Heart Association provides information on diabetes and high blood pressure and diabetes and cholesterol.
• The University of Michigan Health System has information for people with diabetes on foot care.
• "Prevent Diabetes Problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy" is a Q&A resource from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse on circulatory he
• The American Diabetes Association (ADA) website contains information on healthy weight loss as a way for reducing risks of diabetes complications.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on reducing risks.

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on reducing risks to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers handouts on reducing risks by quitting smoking and proper foot care.
• "Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime" is a brochure about foot care for people with diabetes from the National Diabetes Education Program.

• "Special Preventive Care" is a resource from Changing Life with Diabetes about reducing risks for long and short term complications.

(Unit 2, Mod. 2.1, Section 2)AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors:
7. Healthy Coping

What is it?
People with diabetes who positively cope with daily stress are likely to feel in control, informed, and supported by others.

Why is it important?
Living with diabetes can be emotionally challenging, so dealing positively with emotions can help overcome daily diabetes management challenges. Healthy and positive coping with the emotions associated with diabetes can contribute to better control over one's diabetes.

Learn more about healthy coping in diabetes from the following resources:

• New Health Partnerships offers articles on coping with special situations, turning around negative thoughts, and dealing with difficult emotions.
• MyDiabetesPartner.org is an online resource for family, friends, and diabetes educators of people with diabetes that includes videos on healthy coping.
• Coping and Diabetes is an online article by Margaret Grey from Diabetes Spectrum (journal).

Find handouts, tools, and educational modules on healthy coping to help train peer supporters and offer peer support:

• The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) offers a handout called, "Coping with Stress."
• The Behavioral Diabetes Institute produces a handout for people with diabetes called, "The Emotional Side of Diabetes," that includes 10 suggestions for coping with negative emotions associated with diabetes.
• The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation's Diabetes Initiative supported the production of "Strengthen Your Spirit," a self-assessment tool for healthy coping.

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