RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – November is American Diabetes Month. And medical professionals in Rutland County are expanding ideas to help treat the disease.
“When I started doing this 30 years ago, it was very unusual to see somebody who had Type 1 diabetes who had lived 50 years and now I see them all the time,” said Dr. Margaret Daly of the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Rutland Regional Medical Center.
While the evolution of medicine and techniques used to treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have come a long way, Daly says genetics are still a major concern.
“The root cause of Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is growth hormone, so in people whose bodies naturally make more insulin than somebody else, they’re going to have a difficult time losing weight,” she said.
Daly says early screening is key.
Others at the hospital work to help patients change their habits. Joanne Lemay, a regional coordinator for RRMC, partnered with Community Health to host peer-to-peer support groups for those with the disease.
“It’s regardless of who you see as a provider… these are important self-management skills for everyone and it shouldn’t just be because you go there,” Lemay said. “If someone is having a bad week, there’s nothing like having someone right there that you’ve been sitting with for months to help you to say, ‘Hey, I’m your cheerleader.’”
Some of the main topics for the group are centered around nutrition and exercise. But the conversations about making changes are usually carried by the attendees.
“The unhealthy habit is gone, replaced with a healthier habit, and you just keep moving on because then there’s another habit that wants to change,” Lemay said.
Providers with the hospital say having a strong supporting cast, both at the monthly groups and in everyday life, can make a big difference when it comes to battling the disease.
“Along with a partner if you change together, there’s more of a success rate, I feel,” Daly said.
“Being able to talk to other people who have gone through it and are walking through it at the same time gives a lot of moral support,” Lemay said.
RRMC is hosting in-person diabetes support groups the second Wednesday of each month along with community health partners in the county.