Sun Health’s Diabetes Self-Management Education Program is a ‘Life Saver’ For Sun City West Woman
New Classes begin August 20
Gladys Eckel knew the devastating effects of diabetes after watching several family members battle the disease. So when Gladys learned that she, too, had diabetes during a routine doctor’s visit, she was determined to take a different path.
“I didn’t have any symptoms, but after the diagnosis I said, ‘I’m not going to allow this to take over my life. It’s not an option,” Eckel said. “My mother had her legs amputated…I’m not going down that road.”
Fate intervened when she spotted a Sun Health LiveWell magazine article about the Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) training offered through the Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing. The five-week program focuses on diet, nutrition, and other lifestyle changes to better manage the disease.
For Eckel, it was a life saver.
“I was really skeptical in the beginning,” she said. “But I stayed the course and, in that timeframe, I learned a lot and thought, ‘Oh, this might just work.’ It’s been more than two years now, and it is working.”
DSME, a benefit under Medicare and most insurance companies, is designed to educate participants and help improve their quality of life. Considered a medical standard of care, the training is vital to managing the disease, said Damien Plues, the Center’s a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes educator.
“Most of the individuals that I come in contact with are unaware of the magnitude of impact that behavior changes can have,” Plues said.
In addition to Eckel participating in the classes, she and her husband Ken began exercising daily and dramatically changed their diets. They have lost a combined 200 pounds, and Gladys was grateful for the education on diabetes she received from Sun Health. Gladys also keeps a daily food journal, tracking calories, sugars and carbohydrates to help her stay on track.
She and Ken eat out once a month, that’s their treat. Eckel also plays cards every Sunday and that’s her “free” day. “It’s a free day, but not a free-for-all day,” she said. “I might have a few bites of cake.”
Gladys also turned to Sun Health staff for guidance about her medication, and the team worked with her physician make a change for the better, which included being able to completely stop taking one of her medications, following a consult with the doctor’s office.
“Had it not been for Sun Health educating me and taking an interest in my health, I don’t know what would have happened,” Gladys said. “I would tell people, ‘Take an interest in yourself. You’re the only one that can change this.”
Sun Health’s next six-week accredited DSME course provides guidance to improve overall health and help prevent diabetic complications. This series is taught by registered dietitians and certified diabetes educators and an exercise physiologist. Registration is required at least one week in advance. Please call (623) 832-WELL (9355) to register and inquire about insurance coverage. The fee for this series is covered by Medicare and most insurance providers and requires a physician referral. The series is scheduled for from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Tuesdays Aug. 20 & 27; Sep. 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing in Surprise. A second series is slated on the same dates from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Banner Boswell Medical Center Campus in the Juniper Conference Room (Support Services Buidling).
About Sun Health
Nonprofit Sun Health boasts more than 50 years of meeting the health care needs of the community, first as a hospital-based system and now as an organization offering philanthropic support, three Life Plan Communities, a Continuing Care at Home program and a full slate of health and wellness programs. In partnership with Banner Health, Sun Health Foundation serves as the philanthropic link between the community and Banner Boswell and Banner Del E. Webb medical centers as well as the Banner Sun Health Research Institute. Sun Health champions superior health and wellbeing through philanthropy, inspired living and wellness programs. – http://SunHealth.org/
