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Do you have friends or family members who are diagnosed with diabetes? If you’re wondering how to support them, then you’ve come to the right place.
Here are some basic ways for you to support them:
#1 Educate yourself on diabetes
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Understanding what diabetes is would help you know what your loved one is going through. There are a lot of information you can get from Google, but be careful—there’ll also be inaccurate knowledge.
You can start by reading our previous article, where we explained the different types of diabetes and debunk some myths about them.
#2 Encourage them to eat well
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A healthy diet is vital for diabetic patients. You can recommend them the #Quarter-Quarter-Half plate, which is food portions that consist of:
- Quarter of the plate being carbohydrate e.g rice, noodles, bread, cereals
- Quarter of the plate being protein e.g poultry, meat and/or legumes
- Half of the plate being fruits and vegetables.
Note: The portion may vary according to the medication they take.
#3 Help them de-stress
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Glucose levels are hard to control when you’re stressed out. When a diabetic loved one is going through stress, listen to them and encourage them to talk about their feelings. Doing enjoyable, calming things with them, such as walking, jogging or meditating, will also help.
#4 Offer to go to a doctor’s appointment with them
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It may be overwhelming for your diabetic loved ones to handle their illness alone. You’re not only there to give them moral support; you can also take notes so that they can recall important information later on. You’ll also get to ask the doctor questions that might help you become a better caregiver to your loved ones.
#5 Recommend them to Allianz Diabetic Essential
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Allianz Malaysia provides medical protection to Type 2 diabetic patients. Its comprehensive medical coverage includes hospitalisation and surgery, out-patient treatment benefits, and health screening for HbA1C blood test, kidney function, lipid profile, full urine examination and more.
In the meantime, click here to find out more about the protection – Allianz Diabetic Essential.
Then, tune into LITE from now until 23 December to learn more about it. You can also drop any queries you may have on diabetes care and protection here, and get them answered by doctors from National Heart Institute (IJN) and Allianz Malaysia through LITE’s FB Live on 28 November and 12 December from 1pm to 1.30pm.