Living with Diabetes: An
Occupational Therapy Perspective
A
lmost half the population
of India suffers from
diabetes. It is also one
of the fastest growing
diseases and comes under the
category of lifestyle diseases. Diabetes
can affect any person, irrespective of
age, gender, occupation and region.
It is believed to be a ‘silent killer’ by
many as the complications caused
by the disease are varied and can
affect any part of the body causing
major damage, if left untreated or
neglected. Most of us believe that
only medicines need to be prescribed
and the disease will be taken care off.
Though that is a very important aspect
of treatment, a person diagnosed
with diabetes also needs to have a
good quality of life (QOL) in order to
ensure healthy living and compliance
with treatment protocols.
The field of Occupational Therapy
(OT) looks into the daily activities
of the person with diabetes and
analyzes ‘how’ it is being done. Not
only does the activity need to be
done using correct posture, it should
also not be physically taxing. Over
and above, the activity must be done
By Dr. Monika Kundu Srivastava
20
Volume 4 | Issue 1 | January-March 2019
‘safely’. Occupational therapists help
by training the person with diabetes
modify habits and routines. If
required, a new routine and method
can be prescribed in order to ensure
independence without putting the
person at risk.
OT can help patients develop simple,
concrete, measurable, and achievable
self-management goals consistent
with the seven behaviours advocated
by the American Association of
Diabetes Educators (AADE). These
AADE 7™ Self-Care Behaviours are:
(1) healthy eating, (2) being active, (3)
monitoring, (4) taking medication, (5)
problem solving, (6) healthy coping,
and (7) reducing risks.
HEALTHY EATING
The whole process of ‘eating right’
starts with buying the ‘correct’ food.
Planning and then preparing a meal
using suitable ingredients is just as
important. Healthy eating is essential.
Cutting down on your favourite sweets
may be a real challenge.However, in
today’s day and age, there are several
substitutes available in the market.
Monitoring carbohydrate intake,
avoiding sweets, sweetened drinks
and trans-fats is essential to keeping
diabetes under control.
BEING ACTIVE
Staying active through physical
exercise and continuing to do as many
tasks by yourself will not only ensure
that your body remains toned up but,
will also ensure optimal utilization
of the sugar you may have eaten and
release of ‘happy hormones’ such
as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin,
estrogen and progesterone. Setting
realistic and do-able goals will give
a sense of achievement, for example
‘today I will tidy up my cupboard’
(dopamine); reducing stress by
spending quality time with loved
ones and pursuing a hobby, a physical
exercise routine (yoga, going for a
walk, dancing, etc.) and meditation
are some ways to improve the levels of
‘happy hormones’ in the body.
MONITORING AND TAKING MEDICATION
This can be easily achieved by
encouraging the person with diabetes
to have a schedule. Keeping fixed
times for meals and medication
decreases the chances of ‘forgetting’.