1. Healthy Living with Diabetes
A 6-week workshop proven to help people with diabetes better manage their condition
Developed by Kate Lorig, DPH
Stanford University
Licensed By The Wisconsin Institute For Healthy Aging

2. What is a Healthy Living with Diabetes workshop?
Developed from Stanford University’s Patient Education Research Center
International, National, and Statewide
Brought to WI in 2013
High-level evidence-based prevention program
Developed by Stanford;
International (23 languages), National (all 50 states), and Statewide
Brought to WI in 2013 and Locally branded as Healthy Living with Diabetes. Is currently active in 45 counties. The program is also offered in Spanish in about 5 counties.
High-level EB prevention program; meaning its benefits have been tested and proven

3. What is a Healthy Living with Diabetes workshop?
It’s a 6 week workshop that meets once a week for 6 consecutive weeks for about 2.5 hours each week
We like to keep our groups at about participants to create a nice group dynamic
They are peer led by 2 people, a least one of which has diabetes or a close connection to.
These leaders are trained in the highly scripted material to adhere to how the program was designed. They are there to facilitate discussion, new ideas, and various activities over the 6 session. Not to be experts or to be teachers.
If the leader has professional background they must leave that “hat” off at the door and come in strictly as a peer. What studies find is when professionals lead a group participants will learn more, but if a peer leads then participants DO more. And the latter helps maintain long-term behavioral change.
Free to low-cost depending on the local resources. Most of the time scholarships are available so everyone can participate.
The participant receives a book; Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions
2 ½ hours per week
Once a week for six weeks
10 – 15 participants
Interactive, supportive, peer-to-peer, group.
Free to low-cost

4. Who should attend? 18 years + A person diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes
A person with Type 1 diabetes or pre-diabetes
A family member or friend of a person with diabetes
This program is designed for adults dealing with diabetes.
The original research was only conducted on people with Type 2 diabetes but Type 1’s, Pre, and caregivers are encouraged to join. Where not all material may apply specifically to them, there are enough great “Life Tools” and overall diabetes management topics that will resonate. Moreover, they often bring their own wealth of knowledge, advice, and management to share with type 2’s/the group
Living with a someone who has diabetes has it’s own affects. That’s why family, friends, or care givers are welcome to attend. It’s important for those to understand what this individual is going through and not only give support but foster accountability. We often see a spouse attending to absorb the knowledge.

5. Presenter: You can either use one slide to briefly go over some of the topics/activities discussed in the workshop OR Use the session by session slides – highlighting one or two of the activities. Tell them your experience (e.g. “This activity in my favorite because…” “People get a lot from this activity because…”) Know your audience / Chose your preference!

6. Topics and Activities Discussed
Working with and communicating effectively with your friends, family and medical provider.
Medication management
Strategies for sick days
Decision making
Foot care
Positive Thinking
Future plans
What is Diabetes?
Basics in monitoring
Problem-Solving
Weekly goal setting
Nutrition:
Healthy Eating 101
Label Reading
Menu Planning
Planning low fat meals
Preventing Hypoglycemia
Tips for physical activity & exercise
Depression and stress management
The goal of these workshops is to help individuals be able to better self manage whatever their going through on a daily basis.
I’m not going to go through these but we touch on a lot of great life tools
The workshops’ content does meets the standards of both the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
There is an emphasis on Nutrition activities and our relationship with food, also the importance of self care and monitoring your body with diabetes (how everything effects it from food to physical activity to emotional health),
If you think about a 2 hour session and having 3-4 activities, leaders can only say so much. I need to stress that the information given at these workshops are basic. It’s on the surface to give participants an understanding of tools to better their health and then we encourage more discussion with a professional. If the content of the workshop conflicts with instructions they receive elsewhere, they are advised to follow their physicians' orders and discuss discrepancies with the physician. Because everyone is different and the leaders are NOT professional.
These workshops activate people to become interested and curious in their health. And to better articulate their needs.

7. Week One Workshop Overview What is Diabetes? Monitoring
Introduction to Healthy Eating
Introduction to Action Plans

8. Week Two Feedback on Action Plans Problem-Solving
Guidelines for Healthy Eating
Menu Planning
Dealing with Stress
Making an Action Plan
Action Plan

9. Week Three Feedback on Action Plans Preventing Low Blood Sugar
Focusing on Fat
Preventing or Delaying Complications
Making Decisions
Intro to Physical Activity
Making an Action Plan

10. Week Four Feedback on Action Plans Dealing with Difficult Emotions
Review Healthy Eating Skills
Reading Nutrition Labels
Menu Planning #2
Making an Action Plan

11. Week Five Feedback on Action Plans Depression Management
Positive Thinking
Relaxation Techniques
Communication Skills
Endurance Activities
Making an Action Plan

12. Week Six Feedback on Action Plans Medication Usage
Strategies for Sick Days
Foot Care
Working with Your Health Care Professional and Health Care System
Looking Back and Planning for the Future

13. Techniques Used Brainstorming Problem Solving and Decision Making
Many ideas generated in a short period of time
Non-judgmental
Everyone is encouraged to participate
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Select an idea and try it out-repeat if necessary
Find the solution that works best for you
Action Planning
Determining something that you want to do
Accomplish goal within one-week
Have confidence of 7+ (scale of 0-10)

14. Celebrate Success What’s in it for the participant?
Better health, and a sense of confidence in managing their diabetes
Improvements in blood sugar levels and A1C
Decrease in health distress and hypo- and hyperglycemia
Reduced encounters with Health Care Systems (doctor and emergency room visits)
Improvements in self-rated health and communications with physicians.
This is an evidence-based program. There are studies behind it. Results of research showed that participants, as compared with people who did not take the workshop, demonstrated an overall improved health status, health behavior, and self-efficacy, as well as decrease in health care expenditures
Results maintained at 18 month follow up
**Hand out the Cost-Benefits handout for more program stats/numbers (if appropriate for the audience)

15. Other Benefits
Designed to enhance regular treatment and link to their care management
Complements clinic-based education
Can increase referrals to CDEs
Can help participants with other chronic diseases
Social benefits for participants
Other benefits:
-Enhances and complements current or regular treatment plans;
-Fosters a great link between community-based education (this workshop) and the clinical-based education (CDEs)
-Can increase referrals to health professionals like CDEs RDs RNs etc. (– talk about optional 7th session if applicable)
-Much of the information revolves around diabetes management – but a lot of the skills can translate to other health issues.
-The group dynamic develops over the 6-weeks into a team that cares, learns, shares, and helps one another.

16. Thank you! Join a Healthy Living with Diabetes workshop today!
Learn more!