• There’s always more to learn when it comes to diabetes.
Star Valley Health is hosting a Diabetes Education Course at the EMS Garage in Afton with the next class set for Thursday January 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and will repeat weekly for nine weeks.
Registered Dietitian with the organization, Troy Bailey, will host and teach the event. He says the reason they do this event is because after being at the hospital for a year or two, there could be some benefits.
“We just recognized a lot of need for diabetes education in the valley,” Bailey said. “So, we worked to get our program accredited from a national standpoint and we’re going into our fourth year of accreditation.”
He says this means they meet the national standard for diabetes education that is based on research that is verified. He says there is a lot more than you think to learn.
“So, you’re not going to come in and just learn about how to eat right, how to exercise,” Bailey said. “But we’re going to cover every facet of diabetes education.”
He says these are things like how to take care of yourself when you’re sick or how to avoid going to the emergency room. You also learn about the types of medication you should be on and how to cope with stress to avoid “diabetes burnout”.
“It’s such a stressful, chronic condition,” Bailey said.
He says many people may not know that nearly one in ten adults in America have been diagnosed with diabetes. He also says that one in three seniors over the age of 65 also suffer from the disease.
He says it is a growing concern because those afflicted with it usually pay about 250 percent more on healthcare than the average citizen. He also says it is the number one cause of blindness, amputations, and kidney disease in the United States.
“It’s a growing concern here in Lincoln County,” Bailey said. “So, when you think about how small our population here is in rural Wyoming, Those numbers are actually pretty big.”
He says one reason the class goes nine weeks is to allow the class to cover as many topics as possible. However, the dietitian also says it gives others an opportunity for patients to work on things at home. You can come in and set up goals have a period where you are working together. This also includes collaboration with other patients.
“If you’re struggling with one thing or you’re not meeting your goals in certain areas,” Bailey said. “Odds are there is a patient there that has been through the exact same thing.”
He says the class draws interest from people who are recently diagnose to those who have been dealing with this for many years. He also says it is not uncommon for their patients to lose five to 30 pounds as well.
Bailey also says there are some immediate benefits. He says they have been seeing that most people who take the course have their A1C levels drop 1.7. Most oral medications only drop that level anywhere between .5-1.5.
“So, for people to take this class,” Bailey said. “And get an improvement on their A1C just as effective as an oral medication is phenomenal.”
He says most insurances cover diabetes education. They do prefer registration and you can do that by calling him at 307-885-5932 or email him at tbailey@starvalleyhealth.org.
