Diabetes: Living with diabetes

Management and self-care

Living with diabetes involves cooperation between the person affected by the condition and their healthcare providers to:

make appropriate lifestyle changes
monitor and manage blood glucose levels

It’s important to make sure that you and your caregiver are educated about diabetes. Learning about diabetes will give you the skills, knowledge and resources you need to help manage your condition.

Eating a variety of healthy foods and being physically active with regular strength, endurance and flexibility exercises can help to manage your diabetes.

You may also need to take medications to control cholesterol and blood pressure because of an increased risk of heart disease.

Learn more:

Type 1 diabetes

People living with type 1 diabetes are treated with insulin, which they can take by:

injection
continuous insulin infusion (pumps)
inhalation

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to control blood glucose levels by:

using medication
maintaining a healthy weight
following a healthy meal plan
following a physical activity program

A registered dietitian or diabetes educator can help answer your questions about sugar and meal plans.

Gestational diabetes

In most cases, you can keep your blood glucose levels within an acceptable range by:

eating a variety of healthy foods
being physically active on a regular basis

If your blood glucose levels don’t fall within recommended ranges after at least 2 weeks of following these steps, you may need medication.

Supports and services

If you are living with diabetes or are a friend or family member of someone living with diabetes, it’s important to find places where you can:

learn about diabetes
be in a supportive environment
have access to services that help manage diabetes

There are many ways to find programs and services in your community that will help you make decisions about managing your condition. These kinds of organizations often have programs to help you:

Hospitals, pharmacies and doctor’s offices.
Community and education centres, service clubs and organizations.

Diabetes education

Diabetes education centres or programs provide education to people living with diabetes, including those who:

are newly diagnosed
have lived with diabetes for many years

Diabetes education sessions cover important topics, like:

healthy eating and physical activity
foot care
managing your stress
prevention of complications
how to monitor your blood glucose levels
safely taking insulin and diabetes medication

These programs can be found in many locations across Canada. Ask your healthcare provider for more information.

Diabetes information sessions and forums

Many organizations offer a range of activities to keep you up-to-date and help you become more familiar with managing your diabetes. These include:

forums
breakfast meetings
information sessions
lunch-time meetings with speakers

These sessions usually include:

videos
demonstrations
diabetes experts
healthcare professionals

Support groups

People living with diabetes often take part in peer support groups. They offer an opportunity for people living with diabetes to regularly share their experiences and support each other.

There are also groups for families of people living with diabetes.

Ask your healthcare team about any peer-support groups in your region and other diabetes-related supports in your community.

Financial supports

In Canada, the following programs and services may provide assistance for diabetes medications and supplies:

Other credits and benefits to support people living with diabetes and related physical and mental health conditions may be available in your local area.