When Arnold Lachman is out branding cattle he knows to watch his blood sugar levels. The 61-year-old Innisfail resident lives with diabetes and would rather remain vigilant with his health rather than suffer the consequences.
“I can do just about anything I want to do, maybe just not as fast,” he said.
If he is working alongside someone else he'll make sure it's clear he has to break for lunch right at noon to keep from experiencing “lows” beforehand or “highs” after eating.
Lachman shared his experiences with a small group of attendees at an Alberta Health Services workshop called Diabetes the Basics, organized through the Henday Association for Lifelong Learning and held at the Innisfail Library Learning Centre April 17.
The monthly group is open to anyone interested in finding out more about the intricacies of life with diabetes, a disease that affects about 2.4 million Canadians.
“This is meaningful stuff,” said Brenda Logan, the client health educator with the Alberta Healthy Living Program, facilitating the daytime group. “They go home with their heads full of information.”
Throughout the course of the workshop, Logan covered topics ranging from learning the signs of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, the importance of frequent blood sugar testing and successful nutrition management. She also gave quick tips about controlling blood sugar, such as carrying a candy in your pocket, having glucose tablets on hand or drinking orange juice.
Donald Lund, 71, just found out he may have diabetes and said the workshop was a learning experience.
“It's a little surprising,” he said of the information he took in about how serious an impact the disease could have on his feet if he's not careful. “But it's sort of normal.”
He hopes others who live with diabetes would educate themselves about the risks of diabetes and the steps required to ensure continued health.
Logan said it's essential those with pre-diabetes take steps to prevent the further onset of the disease.
“Changes in their lifestyle may prevent diabetes,” she said.
Joyce Mathon, 66, may also have diabetes, but she's already quite familiar with the disease.
“My husband has had diabetes for 30 years,” she said, noting she enjoyed the workshop. “I think this is great. If the public knew this was going on it might help them learn to control their diabetes.”
Just under half of new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in individuals aged 45 to 64 years old and obesity was a major contributor to diabetes within this group, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Candyce Agg, a licensed practical nurse at the Innisfail Health Centre, attended the class as a way to get a better understanding of the disease.
“I have a lot of patients with diabetes,” she said, noting the workshop was a unique learning experience. “It wasn't so much of a clinical setting, it was more of a community setting.”
The 24-year-old health-care worker said the focus on healthy living was useful.
“It's all about lifestyle choices,” she said.
Logan said the Henday Association provided the meeting space free of charge which created a positive space to soak up potentially life-saving information.
“If you're in a hospital you feel like you're sick,” she said. “We're in this beautiful sunny room.”
For Lachman the monthly meet-up is a chance to impart his own knowledge and prepare for the days ahead.
“I'm gung-ho about life,” he said. “Diabetes has never scared me, because I'm going to carry on. If we can get a handle on this – give 'er.”
The next free session will be held May 8 at 9 a.m. at the Innisfail Library Learning Centre.
