Powderly Library Hosting Diabetes Prevention Workshop Series

What: Everyone with Diabetes Counts workshops
Where: Powderly Branch Library
When: Remaining classes are September 27, October 4, 11, and 25, all at 10:00 a.m.
Who: Medicare recipients with diabetes or pre-diabetes, their family members or caregivers; any remaining slots are open to the public.
Details: Pre-registration requested. Register online through the BPL events calendar or call the library at 205-925-6178.

A diabetes educator is conducting a series of workshops at Powderly Library designed to help community residents prevent diabetes and prevent health problems due to uncontrolled blood sugars.

Maxine Starks, a performance improvement adviser at Birmingham’s Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation (AQAF), began conducting the free workshop series Everyone with Diabetes Counts on September 6 at Powderly Library. The remaining dates are September 27 and October 4, 11, and 25.

The classes will focus on these topics:

• Diabetes and its health risks
• Healthy eating and exercise
• Talking with your health care team
• Managing medications
• Monitoring blood sugar levels
  
  

Starks said the diabetes prevention workshops are designed for persons with diabetes, those with pre-diabetes, their family members and caregivers. Non-Medicare persons with diabetes are welcome to attend.

Starks, a registered nurse, said AQAF has a contract with Medicare to help educate undeserved Alabamians and others at risk about how to prevent and manage diabetes. Alabama has the third highest prevalence of diabetes in the nation, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the nation.

Starks has previously conducted similar diabetes prevention seminars at other BPL locations including West End Library and Wylam Library. She hopes the classes at Powderly Library help save lives.

“The response to the first class was very good,” Starks said. “Our goal is to help make a difference.” 
More than 12 percent of Alabama's adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, but many with the condition are undiagnosed. African Americans and lower-income residents are most likely to have and die of diabetes.

Type I and Type II diabetes are both hereditary. Risk factors for Type II diabetes include lifestyle factors such as poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise. In addition to death, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, and poor circulation that causes a need for amputations.

Read more about diabetes at http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/Advocacy/burden-of-diabetes/alabama.pdf or check out materials from the library.