Table 1 Core DSME session topics and FAM-ACT program support person-focused material

1

• Patient’s experience and understanding of diabetes

• Emotional aspects of diabetes

• Information people with diabetes should know

• Managing diabetes with healthy eating, physical activity, and medication adherence

• Support networks

• Support for increasing physical activity

• Ways to help patient understand and address mood changes

• Possible stressors for the support person

2

• Patient’s understanding of diabetes

• Feelings about food

• Basic concepts about food and nutrients found in foods

• The 5 major food groups

• Making healthy food choices

• Support for healthy eating

3

• Portion sizes

• Timing and frequency of meals

• Strategies for healthy eating

• Food challenges and planning

• Support for food planning

• Support for challenging food situations

4

• The basics of blood glucose

• Blood glucose targets

• Glucose monitoring, knowing I1c

• Factors that affect blood glucose levels

• Managing high and low sugars

• How to recognize high and low sugars in the patient

• Ways to help the patient prevent low sugars

• Ways to help the patient treat low sugars

• Support for glucose monitoring

• Ways to help the patient manage sick days

5

• Review of previous sessions

• Keeping blood glucose on target

• Signs and symptoms of low and high blood glucose

• Long-term diabetes complications

• Checking for diabetes complications

• ABCs of diabetes: A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol

• Support for obtaining diabetes screening tests

• Support for foot care

• Support for recognizing health emergencies

6

• Oral medications and insulin

• Medication adherence

• Physical activity

Support for patient when they are

• Having trouble remembering to take their medication

• Out of medication

• Not sure how to take their medication as prescribed

• Worried about how much their medication costs

• Worried about side effects

• Worried they are taking too many pills for different conditions

• Unable to pick up their medication from the pharmacy