1. Getting the Best Care for Your Diabetes
Managing Diabetes
Getting the Best Care for Your Diabetes

2. What are the Standards of Diabetes Care?
Topics
What are the Standards of Diabetes Care?
How can you track your numbers and targets?

3. What to Check and How Often?
At Provider Visits
What to Check and How Often?
Every Visit
At Least Every 3-6 Months
At Least Once a Year

4. Keeping Track Tracking Your Numbers and Targets
My Visit Planning Tool or
Page 5 in “Your Diabetes Survival Guide”

5. Keeping Track

6. Every Visit Every Visit Check/Review Blood Glucose Results
Check Blood Pressure
Review Meal Plan
Review Activity Level
Check Weight
Ask About Smoking Status

7. Check/Review Your Blood Glucose
Every Visit
Check/Review Your Blood Glucose
Keeping your blood glucose in the recommended target range can prevent or delay the long-term health problems caused by diabetes

8. Check Your Blood Pressure
Every Visit
Check Your Blood Pressure
Measures the force of blood inside your blood vessels
High blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, eye problems and kidney disease
Blood pressure of below 130/80 recommended

9. Review Your Meal Plan Every Visit Your Meal Plan:
Helps you reach your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol goals (the ABCs)
Helps you reach or maintain a healthy weight

10. Review Your Activity Plan
Every Visit
Review Your Activity Plan
Physical Activity:
Lowers your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol
Lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke
Helps you reach or maintain a healthy weight

11. Check Your Weight Every Visit
If overweight, losing weight can help improve your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Weight losses of only pounds can be beneficial

12. Ask if You Smoke Every Visit
Smoking is Especially Harmful for People with Diabetes
Harms blood vessels
Raises risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and damage to the blood vessels in your feet and legs

13. At Least Every 3-6 Months Every 3-6 Months Check A1C
Provides average blood sugar for the past 2-3 months
Recommended level of below 7 for most people with diabetes

14. At Least Once a Year Check:
Cholesterol
Microalbumin
Feet
Eyes
Flu Shot
Pneumonia Vaccine Status

15. Cholesterol At Least Once a Year LDL (“bad” cholesterol)
below 100
HDL (“good” cholesterol)
above 50 (women)
above 40 (men)
Triglycerides
below 150

16. Microalbumin At Least Once a Year
Checks for small amounts of protein in your urine
Tells you how well your kidneys are working

17. Foot Exam At Least Once a Year
Checks for signs of nerve damage or other problems
Foot problems can be avoided if detected and treated early

18. Eye Exam At Least Once a Year
Will refer you to an eye doctor to check the blood vessels in your eyes
Need to have drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils

19. Flu Shot At Least Once a Year
Ask for each year to keep from getting sick

20. Pneumonia Vaccine One Time
You should get the pneumonia vaccine at least once
Get another pneumonia vaccine when you turn 65 (unless you have had one in the past 5 years)

21. What should happen at your provider visits?
Review
What should happen at your provider visits?
How can you keep track of your results and targets?

22. For more information about diabetes please call 1-800-DIABETES
or visit diabetes.org

23. Contact your local ADA at
For More Information
Contact your local ADA at
1-888-DIABETES to learn about activities and volunteer opportunities in your community