It’s no surprise that Dr. Chandra L. Day Houts and Dr. Heidi M. Christie of Montgomery Foot Care Specialists put in a great deal of effort to educate our patients about diabetes and diabetes care. Diabetes and foot complications go hand-in-hand, and so our entire staff wants you to be aware of the dangers of this incurable disease.
During this Diabetes Awareness Month, there are things you can do as well to spread awareness. If you have diabetes or care for somebody who does, consider these ways of spreading the word about prevention and best care:
Use social media
Take advantage of the viral power of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook:
- Post about a new innovation you heard about, something your doctor said, your own experience with the disease, or how your child is handling daily injections – and use hashtags like #diabetes, #ThisIsDiabetes, #diabetesawarenessmonth, #Type1, and #Type2 to spread the word.
- Teach people about the symbol for diabetes awareness: the blue circle. The International Diabetes Foundation has developed the WDD Selfie App. (WDD stands for World Diabetes Day.) Take a creative self-portrait with your phone and use the free app to add a blue circle to your photo – move it around to create something cool and interesting. Share it with your friends on social media with a personal message to raise diabetes awareness.
Sponsor a service dog
Dogs in service to people with diabetes are becoming more common, especially for Type 1 diabetics who need to check their blood sugar levels often throughout the day. Managing blood sugar can be a challenge for anyone, but it’s especially hard for children busy in school or just not yet in tune with how their body reacts to diabetes. Dogs can be trained to detect drops or elevations in a person’s blood sugar that threaten the person’s health. Be on the lookout for somebody in our tri-county area who’s looking to get a service dog and launch a campaign to raise funds for them. The cost to get a diabetes service dog can run upwards of $20,000.
Spreading awareness means more and more people will understand the difficulties that a disease like diabetes presents. Dr. Christie and Dr. Day-Houts are trained in all aspects of diabetic foot care, and welcome your questions: make an appointment with us online or call us at (334) 396-3668.