Type 2 Diabetes Education & Care at TidalHealth
SALISBURY, Md. – In this week’s Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist, Kelly Birch.
Birch spoke with us about risk factors that could lead individuals to a type two diabetes diagnosis.
“People who are at risk for developing diabetes have many different risk factors,” said Birch. “It could be a family history of diabetes being over the age of 40, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, [or] also a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight.”
Signs of high blood sugar and possible type two diabetes can include excessive thirst, excessive urination, dry, itchy skin, and blurred vision. Birch recommends that patients with diabetes concerns conduct a risk assessment, which can be done for free on the American Diabetes Association website.
While life with type two diabetes can be far from easy, but Birch tells us there are minor lifestyle changes that newly diagnosed individuals can make to lessen the toll.
“They really recommend look for everyone to get 150 minutes of exercise a week. So that’s 30 minutes, five days a week.”
Those seeking more information are in luck, as TidalHealth will be having a free diabetes awareness event at the MAC Center on Monday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m. The event will feature several TidalHealth speakers, as well as free flu shots to those who would like one.
“We will have Dr. Vivar from Title Health Endocrinology, along with two of our new endocrinology fellows, Dr. Singla and Dr. Tariq. They will be speaking about a day in the life of diabetes, and they will also offer time for questions and answers after their message,” Birch told us.
Exhibitors there that focus on diabetes support products will also be present at the event.
“TidalHealth is a wealth of information for people with diabetes. We have registered dietitians, we have diabetes educators like myself, [and] we offer diabetes classes,” says Birch. “We’re here to help our community. And that’s what diabetes education, community wellness and population health are all about.”
To learn more about diabetes education and care at TidalHealth, click here.
