1 Raising Awareness!!! Introduction Diabetes is considered one of many problems older people can present in the actuality, it affects the body in many ways since it is not already functioning in an optimal mode. It starts by elevating your blood sugar and this not level to a normal range and the pancreas just starts decreasing its functioning and can no longer produce insulin nor help the glucose get into the cells used for energy. “More than 30 million people in the United States have diabetes, and it’s the seventh leading cause of death.” (Healthy People 2030, 2017, Goal section, p.1), According to this data, diabetes needs to be taken of the utmost importance since it is a concern that affects the community, most of the older people do not have the right sources to be alert to what is happening around or do not know where to go if there are doubts and even can be misinformed. “Increase the proportion of people with diabetes who get formal diabetes education” (Healthy People 2030, 2017, Title section), emphasize it is vital for those who may not be aware of this situation or how it can affect them on future. Topic development Diabetes is a disease that affects older people, and in certain way has a great impact in the community, Kilkenny et al. (2017) mentions that “diabetes results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors” (p.2). Meaning that diabetes can be preventable by educating patients in the community, factors that affect diabetes is high blood pressure, diabetes, alcohol, between others. It is indicated that “51.7 percent of adults aged 18 years and over with diagnosed diabetes ever had received formal diabetes self-management education and support in 2017” (Healthy people 2030, 2017, Baseline section) a data very important letting see how important education should be implemented in the community, and according to Chapman et al. (2017) “Diabetes…is 2 a major public health concern with the number of cases rising in every country.” (para.1) again reaffirming how vital is this problem. Laursen et al. (2017) indicates that “Structured patient education programs are an important part of care, teaching patients how to use disease-specific self-care skills.” (p. 2). After the end of the program patient wee more able to feel confident and manage the situation better than before, increased the statics that before, resulting in how educating a patient can make the difference to be more responsible with his lifestyle. And the following valley sources that can be useful with this community problem would be American Diabetes Association which is in McAllen, Texas usually a test of 60 seconds is taken to know the diabetes risk and it is completely free; and Unidos Contra la Diabetes is a community partnership that helps the community to prevent diabetes by meetings and raise awareness at no cost, located in Hidalgo County. Nursing Interventions Some interventions Licensed Vocational Nurse can make by increasing education on people with diabetes are to monitor the glucose adequately, it is important to be aware of what kind of insulin you are taking and the times you are taking record of the levels of glucose (recommended 30 minutes prior meals) since depending of the kind of insulin you are taking the time will vary, if its rapid acting should be taken before meals, but if its long acting it should be taken once a day buy at the same time; also, check places the insulin should be injected as the fatty tissue of the belly, anterior of thighs, and posterior of upper arms, having the correct situation to inject the insulin will prevent the patient from suffering pain or absorbing it too quickly the insulin; and explain the importance of rotate the sites of insulin injection to prevent the body from storing fat. Even following a good diet low in fat and sugars, and high in carbohydrates will help people to gain knowledge and will help reduce risks of misapprehend in community. 3 Conclusion There can be no doubt how important should be to “increase the proportion of people with diabetes who get formal diabetes education” (Healthy People 2030, 2017, objective), since the people who has the knowledge and support will be able to manage their diabetes healthier that the people who does not, as stated “Formal diabetes education helps people gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to manage their condition. This is key to improving health outcomes in people with diabetes.” (Healthy People 2030, 2017, Summary section), 4 References Chapman, A., Meyer, C., Renehan, E., Hill, K. D., & Browning, C. J. (2017). Exercise interventions for the improvement of falls-related outcomes among older adults with diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of Diabetes & Its Complications, 31(3), 631–645. https://doiorg.ezproxy.southtexascollege.edu/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.09.015 Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). Increase the proportion of people with diabetes who get formal diabetes education. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browseobjectives/diabetes/increase-proportion-people-diabetes-who-get-formal-diabeteseducation-d-06. Home. American Diabetes Association | Research, Education, Advocacy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.diabetes.org/. Imagine It Studios. (2014). About Us. Unidos Contra la Diabetes. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://ucdrgv.org/about-us/. Kilkenny, M. F., Dunstan, L., Busingye, D., Purvis, T., Reyneke, M., Orgill, M., & Cadilhac, D. A. (2017). Knowledge of risk factors for diabetes or cardiovascular disease (CVD) is poor among individuals with risk factors for CVD. PLoS ONE, 12(2), 1–11. https://doiorg.ezproxy.southtexascollege.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0172941 Laursen, D. H., Christensen, K. B., Christensen, U., & Frølich, A. (2017). Assessment of short and long-term outcomes of diabetes patient education using the health education impact questionnaire (HeiQ). BMC Research Notes, 10, 1–9. https://doiorg.ezproxy.southtexascollege.edu/10.1186/s13104-017-2536-6 5
