T2 Support Group Topics? Any ideas?

Type 2
1

I facilitate a support group with mainly T2 members. I've done this for over 20 years and am alwasys looking for fresh ideas..

Have any of you attended a meeting that you thought was interesting? Do you always expect an educational component?

What takes place at the meetings you attend? What do you like and don't like?

Any insight and suggestions will be appreciated!!

2

I’ve never been to a support group, but I think a good approach would be to throw out a problem, like “temporary knee injury” or “road trip” or “party invitation” for people to problem-solve. Bring in a restaurant menu and see how creative people could be about ordering, if they had a certain number of carbs per meal that they could eat. Have a recipe-share potluck.

3

I lead a local diabetes group. I won’t give you all my good ideas, but I will point you to a guide that is helpful (http://www.diabetesinmichigan.org/PDF/General/SGBooklet.pdf). If you need further ideas, I’d be happy to talk further.

4

bsc, thanks for the link. There were some topics I have not pursued and considered.

Frances, problem solving is a great idea. And this topic was also a topic in the resource that bsc supplied.

Bottom line: adults like to share what they know and problem solving is a good way to do that as well as assess what they know about different topics and situations. Great ideas from both of you! Thanks!

5

I’ve never attended a support group, either, but I am constantly amazing with the lack of knowledge PWD possess about basic nutrition. Of course, we can’t be blamed entirely since our healthcare providers are so off the mark, as well as the CDE’s & nutritionists they send us to see.

I would like to see some basic information about the types of diabetes, how they’re the same, how they’re different, and about the role of nutrition and exercise on self-management.

Also, I think it’s beneficial to talk about depression and how chronic medical conditions make one much more susceptible to depression.

6

I have never been to a support group (other than online like this one) but I would think if you go online and compile a list of the frequently asked questions you’ll have plenty of discussion topics to last awhile. Most of the questions that I see from newbies relate to “what can I eat?,” “how many carbs am I allowed?,” and “where can I get free/discounted medications?” … Surely you can get guest speakers from local pharmacies, clinics, and other companies (profit or non) that would be happy to assist with professional help in exchange for the advertising. Why not poll your group of what they’d like to see featured???

7

I have never been to a support group either. I think the most important thing to tell Type 2’s is that everyone is different and we all get different results from diets, meds and insulins. This is why it is so important to use your bg meter as your guide and test a lot to figure out what and when your bg goes high or low. Also it is important to discuss even when you do everything right sometimes your bgs don’t behave. I think a lot of D’s blame themselves because they can’t get numbers under control. Sometimes the signals between pancreas and liver are just misfiring and leads to bad signals so our liver converts glycogen to glucose when we are no where near a low. I think a good resource for questions is Jenny’s site BLOOD SUGAR 101
www.phlaunt.com/diabetes

8

Just going through the various questions on this forum that you find interesting would be very good. Since they are posted here they are bound to spark discussion in your group.

9

Brenda,
I’m doing dissertation research about educational group visits. Would I be able to talk to you offline? I’d love to get your insight! My email is lora.arduser@uc.edu.

Thanks,
Lora

10

Agreed. Human metabolism is an extremely complex system of checks and balances. There are lots of ways to get out of whack, leading to our common symptom of high sugar. The only way to find out what works is to test test test. Jennys site is excellent. In many ways her “How to get your blood glucose under control” poster is all you need to know.

11

How’s your support group going? Did you get any ideas? Any ideas that you would like to share? I announced my upcoming meeting over on the virgina group (http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/virginiadiabetics).