Hi Everyone, Check out my latest question I received from foodpicker.org a website dedicated to helping those with diabetes J
I am trying to find a class for our grandson. He is 19 and has a part-time job but no insurance. He just found out last week that he is a type 1 diabetic after losing a lot of weight and his blood sugar was 523. He is on insulin but needs to go to a class to manage is diabetes without going hungry. Where do we start? Any suggestions would help us a lot.
It can be tough to deal with a chronic disease such as diabetes without the financial support you would receive from insurance, especially when you are still in your late teens. Your grandson is lucky to have grandparents that are helping him find resources. Many people today avoid seeking help due to the fear of financial crisis medical cost may put to their pockets, but don’t let that thought keep you from seeking professional help. It is important to work with a specialist to help your grandson understand what is occurring with him and how he can live a healthy life with diabetes. There may be options in your area that your grandson may be eligible for.
With that said, the first thing to do is to look into hooking him up with community health services. There are a few avenues that he can search for to obtain help in controlling his diabetes. One example is the Bureau of Primary Health Care, a service of the Health Resources and Services Administration. This program offers primary and preventive health care to medically underserved populations through community health centers. For people with no insurance, fees for care are based on family size and you can find a directory of services by visiting the Bureau’s website at www.bphc.hrsa.gov. As well, many local governments have public health departments that can help people who need medical care. The local county or city government’s health and human services office can provide you with further information. As well, you can search online for clinics in the area, or in most regions you can dial 211 which will give you a health and humans service phone line which will help link you with services in your area to meet your needs. If he is able to work with a professional in the area, it will help him gain some confidence and support to help him get his diabetes under control and keep it maintained. If he is looking for diabetes educators in the area he can search them with the website http://www.diabeteseducator.org/DiabetesEducation/Find.html. Some may be able to offer financial assistance as well.
With that in motion, another source is to take an invested interest in your grandson’s health or support him to get educated himself. Your grandson should start educating today and the internet is full of information to help you find a good start to controlling your diabetes. If you don’t have access at home, look into the local library to get online. However, make sure you are getting information from a reliable organization. One example is the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org. It has a variety of handouts and information to get you started on some basic principles. As well, invite your grandson over and utilize the website to find recipes that you know would he would like. He can discover some tasty recipes that are also carb smart.
One focus on education is learning how to use his insulin. Sometimes with uninsured individuals, they do not have as many options on insulin medication, so try to distill on him the need to learn about the medication options he has and how they can be utilized with his diet. If he has the resources to test his blood sugar, make sure that he does a good job at keeping track of his progress. As well, to save money on strips, have him test less times per day, but have him vary the time he tests each day or week so that he can get a good estimate on his overall blood sugars. Some keys may be morning, before a meal, and 1 hour after a meal. Lastly, the most inexpensive way to control his blood sugar is by learning how food interacts with his body to affect diabetes and the signs and symptoms of high and low blood sugar. These keys will give him a good start on educating himself
Remember, though living with type 1 diabetes without insurance may pose a few more challenges to obtain knowledge and help, it is important to stay diligent about becoming more active in controlling your diabetes. You are off to a great start by seeking help from nutrition professionals. Good luck!
jschapman
