Self-management doesn’t mean you’re managing alone!
Diabetes is a self-managed condition. While you may visit your health care team on a regular basis, you will be the one managing your diabetes day-to-day. For most people, this includes checking your blood sugars; taking your medications or insulin; eating healthy; exercising; taking steps to reduce your risk of complications; learning to troubleshoot daily diabetes challenges; and finding healthy ways to cope with the emotional side of diabetes. Self-management is all about developing the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make decisions about managing your diabetes through a variety of life situations – but it doesn’t mean that you’re managing alone! Your diabetes team at LMC is here to help you along the way, to make sure you have the tools and support you need to be successful in your journey to living well with diabetes!
Having some reliable tools in your diabetes toolbox can help make self-management a little bit easier. While many people have relied on paper logbooks, pocket calculators and informational books for diabetes information in the past, there are now also lots of websites and blogs, online tools and apps out there that focus on diabetes management. Smart phone apps can be a particularly helpful tool, because they often have a variety of functions and can give you access to diabetes information on demand and on-the-go, right on your phone.
Recently, LMC has partnered with DarioHealth – an all-in-one solution with a meter and smart phone app – to give people living with diabetes across Canada access to some great diabetes self-management tools. As part of this partnership, Canadians living with diabetes will now be able to access self-management learning modules created by our LMC Certified Diabetes Educators, directly through the Dario app.
In addition to LMC content, the Dario app also has a number of features that we think would be helpful for self-management. These include:
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A food database for carbohydrate counting and an insulin dose calculator to help you figure out your insulin dose
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A comprehensive diabetes log that allows you to log all of your diabetes information in one place – your blood sugars, your exercise, your food and your insulin doses
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Data sharing with your health care team – so that we can help you make changes to your diabetes routine if needed
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Digital diabetes coaching from an LMC diabetes educator through the app (coming soon! stay tuned for more details)
Want to give Dario a try? Download the Dario Diabetes Management app from the iPhone app store or Google Play on your smart phone. You can also pick up a free Dario meter in the LMC pharmacy starting July 15th with the purchase of 100 strips (offer only available in LMC Pharmacies). To learn more about DarioHealth, visit www.mydario.ca