Saint Charles Hospital

The diabetes education program at St. Charles has received the distinction of being recognized by the American Diabetes Association for providing high quality self-management training. Our experienced team of certified diabetes educators includes dieticians, nurses and psychologists. They will provide you with all the information you need to take control of this serious disease.

Most insurance providers, including Medicare, cover the cost of diabetes education. A referral from your physician may be necessary.

Begin with Five Core Classes...
Diabetes Overview
The overview provides an in-depth discussion of the causes, treatments and complications of diabetes. Your individual needs will be assessed and an education plan will be developed for you.

Nutrition Basics
During this session, the various effects of protein, carbohydrate, fat, alcohol, exercise and stress will be explained. You will learn to adjust your diet to decrease diabetes complications and to improve your overall health. You will also be taught how to make healthy choices in restaurants, prevent hypoglycemia and decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Meal Planning
This class is designed to show you how to understand and use food labels as well as determine portion size. You will be given an individualized meal plan tailored to your specific needs. Strategies for implementing the meal plan will be provided and you will create sample menus for yourself.

Preventing Complications
The role of oral medications, insulin, lab tests and the health care team in the management of diabetes are the focus of this class. You will learn how to assess blood sugar control and minimize your risk of the serious complications associated with diabetes.

Follow-Up
This session provides the opportunity to assess your progress and reinforce all that you learned in previous classes. Since enrollment is limited to three people, individual concerns can be addressed.

After the Core Classes are completed any or all of the following classes can be taken:

Blood Glucose Monitoring
You will be given a blood glucose meter and step-by-step instructions on how to test your blood sugar if you are currently not doing so.

Carbohydrate Counting One
This session offers important information regarding food labels, portion size and fiber. In addition, using an insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio as a method to achieve blood sugar control will be taught.

Carbohydrate Counting Two
During this individual session, your food and blood sugar will be closely analyzed. The data will be used to estimate an insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio. You can take this session more than once as it often requires several adjustments to determine exact carbohydrate and insulin needs.

Coping with Diabetes
The purpose of this class is to provide you with an overview of the psychological factors that can affect diabetes management. In addition, mechanisms to adopt positive coping styles are reviewed and you will be made aware of various support services in the community.

Cooking with Diabetes
This class consists of cooking demonstrations, food tasting and recipe modifications for people with diabetes.

Thinking Thin
Strategies for changing behaviors for weight loss and improved health will be the focus of this session. Option for eating out will be provided.

Holiday Eating
In this class you will be provided with seasonal recipes and suggestions on how to stay healthy throughout the year and control blood sugar during holidays and special occasions.

Alternative Therapies
The use of non-traditional treatments, foods and supplements for diabetes and related complications will be reviewed.

To enroll in classes or to have questions answered, please call (631) 474-6449.