How OT’s Can Make A Difference For People With Diabetes

   After listening to the podcast on Diabetes Management by the Glass Half Full OT I took away several points on how OT’s can contribute to society to make a difference for people with diabetes or pre-diabetics. I chose the topic of diabetes management because I have seen first hand how diabetes have impacted my family members if it’s not managed correctly. I think it is important for me, as a future OT, to learn strategies that can help people with diabetes manage their lives to the best of their ability. Some key points I took from the podcast episode was medication management, time and schedule modifications, food management, and peer support. OT’s can help with incorporating a medication and food schedule into someone’s daily routine since insulin regulation is such a huge part of diabetes. It would also be beneficial to educate clients on how to read labels at a grocery store and how to navigate through a store; for example, avoid the middle aisles since that’s where most of the junk food resides and to only shop on the outer borders of the store because that’s where most of the healthy produce resides.
   It also could be helpful to the client if the OT helps them work on a self-care routine since wound healing can be slower for people with diabetes. Wound management and education on how to do skin checking would be helpful for the clients. Providing resources for dietitians, exercise programs, and group support would also be useful for the client. I know from experience knowing someone who had diabetes, food choices were  the biggest struggle to overcome and if an OT was available to help provide education on food and better alternatives it would have made a difference in diabetes management. Coping skills and a group support system could be very encouraging for someone who has diabetes so that they don’t feel alone and that they can manage their feelings in a better way especially if they do emotional eating. I learned that OT’s can make a huge contribution to the well being of people with diabetes by simply educating them and providing good resources and support.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Is The OTPF Important?

The OTPF stands for Occupational Therapy Practice Framework and it is important to learn about because it outlines and highlights the key values of occupational therapy. Some of the key aspects of occupational therapy that it highlights are client factors, performance skills, performance patterns, context and environment, and activity demands. It helps with communication within the OT community and it sets guidelines and standards within the field. It is helpful to have this guide as an OT so that we become more well-rounded and holistic OT’s.
Read more

What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's - Neuro Note #4

Image
   For this neuro note, I chose to watch a TED x Talk called What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's by Lisa Genova. I chose this because Alzheimer's is very common and I feel as though I don't know as much about it as I would like and I would like to know more. In this TED x Talk,  Genova talked about what Alzheimer's looks like in the brain. It is an accumulation of the protein β-Amyloid and plaques. She also elaborated on how lifestyle impacts Alzheimer's. People who are sleep deprived are linked to higher rates of Alzheimer's. This makes sense because sleep is when the brain regenerates. Along with sleep deprivation, cardiovascular disease, as well as other diseases like diabetes, is also linked to Alzheimer's. These were factors that seemed obvious, but what I did learn from the video was that neuroplasticity of the brain from increased stimulating activities would help prevent Alzheimer's. Genova explained how a "cognitive reserve" ...
Read more

A Glyph on Leadership

Image
My perspective when I started OT school:  - leadership stems from nurture over nature -  your leadership style is more behind the scenes - know  of at least one leader who has had a positive impact on you - creativity is more important than organization in leadership - an introvert can be an effective leader  -  seeing yourself as a leader is necessary to being a leader For the most part, my perspective on the items of the glyph has not changed. My perspective has changed with "seeing yourself as a leader is necessary to being a leader" because I now believe that people can be leaders without realizing they are leaders. 
Read more