RSS
Home
American diabetes month
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Photo by Carol Patton
November is American diabetes month, a good time to learn about etiquette when dealing with diabetics.
1. Curb Your Curiosity: Never look over the shoulder of diabetics when they’re taking blood sugar readings. If they want you to know their number, they’ll tell you.
2. Don’t Bug ‘em: Constantly reminding responsible adults to take their medication can be annoying, especially if they successfully manage their diabetes.
3. Food Fights: Diabetics need dietary education, not criticism about what they should or shouldn’t eat. Just because a diabetic is eating a piece of pie doesn’t mean he’s doing something wrong. You don’t know what she had for breakfast. He may have accounted for it in his insulin dose. It might be sugar-free. Or it might be a rare celebration.
4. Avoid lectures: When offering suggestions to diabetics, make sure you’re providing accurate information, not something you saw on an infomercial. Put as much effort into learning about the disease as diabetics do treating it. Remember, diabetes makes people sick, not stupid.
5. It’s not personal: Some diabetics must poke themselves at least eight times a day for injections and blood sugar readings for the rest of their life. They may get angry, frustrated or fed up. Offer your empathy, not ridicule.
6. Listen, then help: Diabetes is invisible. If diabetics sense a drop in their blood sugar and need to quickly sit down or drink some soda, believe them. Don’t say, “C'mon, the car is parked just a block away.”
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.JPG)
