It’s National Diabetes Month and we just finished celebrating National Diabetes Education Week...so I figure that the time is right for me to do the following: to post as a first time AADE/CADE blogger, to fulfill a promise to colleague in the DMV (DC/MD/VA) by writing it; and to blog extemporaneously on something I enjoy. For those of you who know me, no, it’s not camping- that will be a Spring or Summer blog. I am blogging about Diabetes Support Groups. We have many support groups in the DMV. I hear so many good things about the groups' coordinators, i.e., how kind and compassionate they are as well as being experts in diabetes. People living with diabetes are quite committed to attending and participating in these extra sessions. Although support groups are not formal diabetes education, they are vital for people to connect, unite and share ideas on living better with diabetes.
I have watched the bond grow among the support group members that attend one of the local groups in Montgomery County. I have asked attendees recently what the top three things are that they like about attending support group. These were the popular answers:
1) Support Group is “me time”, i.e., time to decompress and do some care for oneself.
2) Support Group is a safe haven to discuss very personal diabetes issues. No one judges, tears are met with hugs, and people leave saying, “I can do this” in reference to managing diabetes. They inspire each other.
3) Support group functions as a supportive family; members have exchanged emails and phone numbers and they contact each other when someone has missed a meeting, or in between support group meetings as a “check-in” of sorts, or they attend other groups together in the area.
As we celebrate awareness for Diabetes and Diabetes Education this month, here’s a big shout out to those of you coordinating Support Groups across the DMV and beyond!
PS: To anyone out there who coordinates Support Group in the DMV, I'd love to hear back from you on how your group is doing...MM-C