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Publication #FAR8046

 

Helping Your Family Member with Diabetes1

Linda Bobroff2

Figure 1. 
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When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, everyone in his or her family is affected. Although everyone handles a diagnosis differently, there often are both physical and emotional consequences that are likely to impact everyone in the home. The good news is that dealing with diabetes offers many opportunities for family members to provide support and help to the person who has the disease.

Treatment for diabetes includes changes in eating and exercise habits to help control blood glucose, which is critical to decrease risk for health complications. Although family members don't have to strictly follow the eating plan provided for the person with diabetes, they can enjoy a healthy style of eating that is compatible with the family's usual eating patterns. As family members, we can be supportive by having a positive attitude about changes in recipes and eating habits.

To encourage physical activity, family members can take a walk together after dinner, or whenever it is convenient. When your family member is active, let them know that you are proud of them for taking care of him or herself.

Other ways family members can help is to attend diabetes education classes or go to the doctor with their loved one. Asking how you can help lets them know that you care and are willing to be of support. And if you need help, find a diabetes support group, a counselor, or contact the American Diabetes Association for other resources.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/352.mp3

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Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR8046, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 352 and published February 2009. Reviewed March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Linda Bobroff, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.