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Education Helps Reduce Diabetes Complications

Kim Koevenig, Diabetes Education Coordinator at Halifax Health, calls diabetes “a very sneaky disease.” “It can lead to many complications, including blindness, kidney failure, stroke and loss of feeling in the legs and hands,” Koevenig said. Heart disease risk also can be four times higher in people with diabetes.

The good news? “Once you learn to live with diabetes, you can control it and greatly reduce the risk for complications,” she said.

Diabetes Education at Halifax Health

The Halifax Health Center for Diabetes Education offers comprehensive diabetes education that is recognized by the American Diabetes Association for Quality Self-Management Education. A team of certified diabetes educators, registered nurses, registered dietitians and exercise physiologists provides a multidisciplinary approach to managing the disease. This medically based program teaches patients how to:

• Work their favorite foods into their diet
• Exercise safely
• Monitor blood glucose levels
• Get updates on diabetes medications
• Stay healthy

Halifax Health also offers gestational diabetes and prediabetes services.

“It isn’t just about preventing complications,” Koevenig said. “It’s about feeling better and improving your quality of life.”