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The healthcare team is so important for the
person who is living with diabetes because

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this is the source of information that will
form the guidance for the decisions that that

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person makes for the successful management
of their disease.

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So the key things that the patient should
have addressed at every visit with the health

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care team should include
the A1C, the blood pressure, cholesterol levels,

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foot checks, weight checks, a review of the
medication plan to make sure that the medications

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are working, or not, and if they’re not
getting you to the goals, what do you need

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to do to improve that.

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A few key things that patients should not
overlook when they are visiting their healthcare

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team would include: if they were a smoker
and they really need to quit and want to quit,

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they should ask for assistance in that, because
that’s one of the absolute worst things

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that a person with diabetes can continue to
do. And if you need help, get it.

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Second, make sure that you know what the appropriate
schedule is going to be for your next visit.

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It’s important to get a flu shot every year.
If you get the flu and you have diabetes,

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it’s going to be more difficult for you
to control your diabetes, it’s going to

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be more difficult to overcome the disease,
and so getting an annual flu shot is really

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critical at the start of the flu season.

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Pneumonia vaccinations are also important
if you’re living with diabetes.

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[Music]

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The kinds of resources that patients should
ask for when they make a visit for diabetes

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care should include making sure that they
get referral to a diabetes educator, make

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sure that they have access to a dietitian
or to classes where those kinds of services

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are provided.

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Patients should find out where the support
groups are around so that they can talk to

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people who are dealing with the same issues
that they are dealing with.

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What kinds of educational materials—brochures,
books, videos, there are a variety of things

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like those things we make available through
the NDEP.

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If a patient with diabetes is starting to
feel down or depressed, the first thing that

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should happen is that somebody on the healthcare
team should reassure them that it is not unusual.

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It is completely within the scope of what
happens when you have diabetes to have periods

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when you feel down, but make sure that there’s
somebody that you can be honest and open with

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about those feelings. To make sure that if
you need some additional help—referral to

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a counselor, a psychologist, or even a psychiatrist
for treatment—that that referral gets made

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and that the appropriate attention is paid
to that problem.

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You don’t need permission to ask questions
about your health. You don’t need permission

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to write notes on responses that are given
to you about your health.

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You are really, ultimately, the person in
charge of managing your diabetes. You are

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getting advice from a team that you have engaged
to help you with that.

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You can get more information about managing
and preventing diabetes by visiting YourDiabetesInfo.org.

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I’m Dr. Gavin and your healthcare team can
help you manage your diabetes.