“Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes” has been a popular series for quite some time. Due to COVID-19, Extension offices across the state are tasked with the challenge of making education available in non-face-to-face formats. The challenge has been met, and an online option is now available.
The entire course is now on the AgriLife Learn website, the Texas A&M AgriLife home for online courses. The cost is $30 for the entire seven-module series. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease,
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease, and while it is not currently curable, it is manageable. According to the Texas Demographic Center, more than 2.3 million Texans have been diagnosed with the disease (close to 10% of the population). In Hopkins County, approximately 12% of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes.
Texas A&M AgriLife is involved in health and wellness initiatives to improve the overall quality of life for Texans. Seven self-paced modules were developed to help people with Type 2 diabetes learn how to manage their blood glucose through basic nutrition and self-care management. It should take four-six hours in total to complete the entire series, but participants can go in and out of individual modules and complete them in their own time.
The Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes program is beneficial to several audiences, including those who have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, have had diabetes for many years or are the spouse or caregiver of someone with diabetes. The series is also useful for those with prediabetes in helping them understand what they can do to keep from developing Type 2 diabetes.
Each module has been developed by a registered dietician and is presented in a concise, factual manner along with activities for building diabetes-management skills. Each has been updated with the most current medical information on diabetes and refers to additional resources.
Modules contain information on how food affects blood glucose, the proper method to test blood glucose, understanding medications and how to incorporate foods into a healthy eating pattern. Also included are recommendations for physical activity.
The cost of this entire series is about the same as you’d be charged as a copay for a single visit to a doctor or registered dietician. It’s a very reasonable price to pay for a lot of up-to-date research-based, practical information and guidance on how to manage diabetes. Diabetes education provides an opportunity for those with Type 2 diabetes to better understand how to manage it through healthy eating, being physically active and following proper self-care management. Those who participate in an evidence-based diabetes education program have shown to delay and prevent further complications associated with Type 2 diabetes.
To register, go to: https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu. Click on “family & health”. That will bring up Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes, as well as other online courses — some at no charge!
CLOSING THOUGHT
“When things go wrong, don’t go with them.” — Roger Babson