Diabetes: Roles on Your Care Team - Topic Overview
Diabetes: Roles on Your Care Team Guide
Other health professionals on a diabetes care team
Other health professionals who may be involved in your diabetes care include:
- Mental health professional. Many people with chronic diseases have depression. A psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker can help you deal with the mental challenges that may come with living with diabetes. Also, one of these specialists can help you learn to manage stress. (Stress can affect your glucose control.)
- Exercise physiologist.Physical activity is an important part of your treatment for diabetes. You may want to work with an exercise physiologist to develop an exercise program that suits your fitness level. Exercise physiologists work with people at all levels of strength and aerobic fitness. He or she can help you plan strategies for staying with your exercise plan.
- Registered dietitian. Your diet plays a key role in keeping your blood sugar levels within a target range. Registered dietitians have training in nutrition and can help people make meal plans and other changes in their lifestyle. Changing your eating habits may be the hardest thing for you to do to care for your diabetes. A registered dietitian can help you take small steps toward a balanced diet.
- Nurse educator. A nurse educator helps you understand your diabetes and its treatment. As your disease changes and progresses, your nurse educator can give you the information you need to adjust and change with it. He or she may also coordinate your diabetes care.