Diabetes patient improves dramatically after Sentara ‘survival skills’ education

November is National Diabetes Month. Every day, millions of Americans are living with this disease which has reached epidemic proportions.

At Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center we have a host of services, along with Certified Diabetes Educators and Dietitians who can help you better manage your condition.

Today we speak with Abigail Chesterson, RD, CDE, to learn more about the program.

SB: What type of diabetes services are offered at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center?

AC: Our diabetes services at Sentara are diabetes self-management education and support session accredited through the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).  We offer both one-on-one and group education for people living with diabetes, pre-diabetes, and gestational diabetes.  We provide education and support to help people reach their goals and achieve blood sugar control. 

SB: What does the program usually entail?

AC: Our diabetes management services typically start participants with a one-on-one session to learn diabetes basics and healthy eating for diabetes.  Our team consists of Registered Nurses and Registered Dietitians who are all also Certified Diabetes Educators.  We enjoy establishing a relationship with our clients and see that this helps foster lifestyle change.  We invite people with diabetes to participate in our group classes to gain all the knowledge and skills they may need to continue managing their diabetes through their life.  Our classes are very interactive and participants are consistently excited and motivated to make changes to reach their health goals upon completion.

SB: How successful are these services for patients?

AC: A great example of some of the success stories we have is a story of a gentleman who was newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during a hospital stay at SNVMC in January.  He is a 61-year-old male whose initial hemoglobin A1C was 11.9%.  People without diabetes have A1Cs in the 4-5% range for comparison.  Our team provided him “survival skills” education during his hospital stay and got a referral from his PCP (Primary Care Physician) to our out-patient program upon discharge.  After attending individual appointments as well as class education, he had made significant steps towards a healthier life.  At the time of his last appointment, he lost 58 lbs, was exercising and following his meal plan.  His A1C was 5.8% and his medications had all been reduced.  With his healthy lifestyle changes, his wife had lost 20 lbs and a friend has recently lost 10 lbs.  He is motivating others to be healthy!

SB: A diabetes diagnosis can be very overwhelming for people. What advice would you give someone with this diagnosis?

AC: My biggest advice for people with diabetes is to obtain diabetes education.  We teach people that four main keys to diabetes management are medication management with their provider, healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy weight.  Three of those things are impacted by an individual’s day-to-day choices.  Without knowledge of what to eat, how to be physically active and what diabetes-related goals to work towards, successful self-management is difficult.  Working with a diabetes educator can help hone these skills and assist with achieving diabetes-related goals.

SB: How can patients get involved with Sentara’s diabetes services?

AC: To participate in our diabetes education program, we require a referral from the practitioner managing an individual’s diabetes.  Our services are billed through medical insurance.

If you have any questions about managing your diabetes, finding a diabetes support group or learning more about the pre-diabetes program, call: 703-523-0590 or email: [email protected]