Tips for Creating Lifelong Learning Habits with Diabetes - Blog With Sidra

  Galileo Galilei says;  “You can't teach anyone anything, all you can do is help them discover their inner desire to learn.” As part of...

 Galileo Galilei says; “You can't teach anyone anything, all you can do is help them discover their inner desire to learn.”

As part of my profession for many years; I provide diabetes training to individuals with diabetes with the aim of increasing their knowledge and skills about diabetes and gaining diabetes self-management habits. Based on my experience, I can tell you that you cannot teach anything to an individual who does not desire to learn. A person must first choose to be a learner and be ready to learn. Learning is a lifelong experience that requires habit.

During the education process with individuals with diabetes, knowledge alone does not ensure learning. The important thing is that the knowledge and skills gained about diabetes and life with diabetes support the behavioral change of the diabetic and strengthen the diabetic.

How Does Lifelong Learning Happen?

A human being is actually a student who has a lifelong learning experience from the moment he is born, starting in the womb. A person first learns to be safe in the womb. Learns what peace, silence and calm mean. Then he learns what his vital needs are and how he can meet these needs. Ultimately, he learns to learn.

A person who learns to learn discovers new things at every moment of life and makes his life easier with what he learns. As a person learns, his mindset develops and his life changes with his thoughts.

Sometimes diseases that suddenly enter a person's life create a need to learn the nature of that disease. Chronic diseases, especially diabetes, require the person to acquire disease management skills. This situation brings with it the necessity of learning new things and reflecting what you have learned into your life. Because; Each disease has its own language and aspects of life.

Diabetes, as a chronic disease, sometimes takes its place in some people's lives with its unique language and feelings. Diabetes enters the person's life; " Know me properly, adapt to me, manage me successfully, try to be strong with me and protect your health with me, " he says softly. Diabetes education nurses teach individuals diagnosed with diabetes the unique language of diabetes and the expectations of the disease from the diabetic through education.

In this process that started with the diagnosis of diabetes; The diabetic's desire to participate in the learning process, his effort to take responsibility and his belief in learning are what are required for success. Life with diabetes brings different experiences for the diabetic. Gaining the habit of lifelong learning with diabetes is one of the important elements that makes life with diabetes easier and strengthens the person with diabetes.

Lifelong Learning Habit with Diabetes

In life with diabetes, it is important what you learn about the disease and its reflection in your life. This is primarily possible by aspiring to make learning about diabetes enjoyable and permanent in life with diabetes.

The habit of lifelong learning is a habit that can be acquired if desired. The important thing is to be aware of the contribution of such a habit to your life with diabetes. If you want, this habit can turn into a passion. Thanks to this passion, you, as a diabetic, can enjoy the learning experience. This way your habit will become permanent. The positive reflections of what you learn about the disease in life with diabetes on your life will make you feel more satisfaction and peace.

A lifelong learning habit with diabetes increases your adaptation to diabetes and contributes to your success in diabetes self-management. Thus, you will have the opportunity to live a healthy and peaceful life with diabetes. You feel better in life with diabetes and maintain your quality of life.

What Can Be Done to Build Lifelong Learning Habits with Diabetes?

For a healthy, peaceful, happy and well-being life with diabetes; Being successful in diabetes self-management should be among your most important goals. In life with diabetes, you must first trust yourself and believe in what you can do.

To adapt to life with diabetes; There should be constant cooperation with the diabetes health care team and the diabetes education nurse.

Developing diabetes self-care behaviors and learning the requirements of life with diabetes are also important in adapting to life with diabetes.

I can list the tips that can help you gain lifelong learning habits with diabetes as follows:

• Lifelong learning habits with diabetes should first be made enjoyable.
• You should be aware of the topics you want to learn about diabetes.
• The areas where all information learned about diabetes will be used should be well known.
• In order to increase the permanence of the information learned, this information should be repeated and reflected in life experiences.
• Care should be taken to access the necessary educational resources about diabetes through the right channels. In this regard, support should be sought from a diabetes education nurse or diabetes health care team.
• If there is no problem with reading, reading habits should be acquired, correct sources about diabetes should be read and small notes should be taken when necessary.
• If there is no literacy problem, the habit of writing should be acquired and a diabetes diary should be kept.
• One should meet other people with diabetes and exchange ideas and share experiences when necessary (Diabetes peer support).
• Lifelong learning habits with diabetes should be enriched with the opportunities of the internet.
• Online education programs about diabetes or accurate content articles about diabetes should be followed.
• Daily or weekly food consumption records, carried out with healthy eating habits specific to diabetes, should be kept when necessary and its relationship with blood sugar should be evaluated.
• In life with diabetes, a daily and weekly physical activity plan should be implemented according to health conditions, and a regular exercise diary should be kept when necessary.
• If individual blood sugar monitoring is carried out using fingerstick or continuous glucose measurement systems, the records or reports should be evaluated with the healthcare professional team at regular intervals.

Things to Remember in Lifelong Learning Habits with Diabetes

• Individuals with diabetes should always have questions about diabetes and answers should be sought.
• One should always be curious and investigative about diabetes, and constantly obtain new and updated information.
• In whatever areas of life with diabetes there are difficulties, support should be sought from relevant experts, social circle or relatives.
• Individuals with diabetes should be able to share the correct information they have learned about diabetes with other diabetics when necessary.
• Technological developments that will provide diabetes self-management support should be followed and used whenever possible.
• Lessons should be learned from the mistakes made during the diabetes self-management process, without judging oneself.
• In life with diabetes, one should become a diabetes expert and all correct information obtained about diabetes should be reflected in life.

Last word

Joslin is one of the people who emphasized the importance of diabetes education by saying, " Education is not a part of diabetes treatment, on the contrary, it is the treatment itself."

An important mission of diabetes education nurses is to support individuals with diabetes in understanding the importance of education. The person with diabetes is at the center of the learning process in life with diabetes. Diabetes education nurses play an important role in making people with diabetes aware of the need to learn their own self-care. In this process, it is very important to ensure positive interaction and participation of the diabetic in the learning process. Diabetes education nurses must be able to support people with diabetes in gaining the habit of lifelong learning about diabetes.

You may be interested in this article about lifelong learning with diabetes .

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

Disclaimer : The contents and materials presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Shares should not be understood as medical services, medical instructions or medical advice. None of the information contained on this site is intended to replace consultations with healthcare professionals. Because; It is important that you consult a physician, nurse, dietitian, pharmacist or other relevant health professional for all your health-related needs and follow their advice.