Diabetes

Mr. D. must be educated that Diabetes is a complex disease process. There are various learning needs and Mr. D must first be assessed to determine what his needs are. Once the needs are determined, it must be stressed that lifestyle changes are mandatory, especially with diet and exercise. Making these lifestyle changes and adhering to them may prove to be one of the biggest challenges in diabetic management (American Diabetes Association, 2010). Ongoing education is vital component of diabetic management. Factors such Mr. D’s needs, abilities, and developmental stage must be taken into consideration when educating Mr. D. As Mr. D’s needs changes, educational efforts will have to be modified as the disease process progresses. The main goal of diabetic education is to provide the patient with the necessary knowledge to make educated behavioral changes to improve his or her general health and manage their diabetes (Neighbors & Tannehill-Jones, 2010). Diabetic education focuses on glucose management and prevention of possible complications. Education includes knowledge of the disease process, glucose monitoring, diet planning, exercise, medications, skin care, sick day management, how to manage hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes, how to manage coexisting disease processes and necessary lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, and limits on alcohol intake. Some objectives that Mr. D needs to be assessed for include: * Mr. D will be able to perform self-monitoring using a glucometer as evidenced by proper demonstration. * Mr. D will be able to describe the benefits of eating a healthy balanced meal and how certain foods can affect his blood glucose levels. * Mr. D will be able to describe the benefits of regular exercise and how exercise can help to improve blood glucose control. * Mr. D will be able to describe diabetic medications that he is currently taking and how to properly take the medications. * Mr. D. will be able to demonstrate proper skin and foot care. * Mr. D. will be able to describe signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. References American Diabetes Association (2010). Retrieved from www.diabetes.org. Neighbors, M. & Tannehill-Jones. (2010). Human Diseases (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.