Alton Memorial Hospital Hosting Diabetes Health Fair Sept. 10
Event Features Informational Tables, Speakers, Free Meal from Tony's
(ALTON, IL � August 26, 2008)If you or a loved one has diabetes, or you're at risk for diabetes, then don't miss the eighth annual Diabetes Health Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Alton Memorial Hospital. The event, sponsored by the hospital's Diabetes Management Center, begins at 6 p.m. in the hospital lobby.
The fair will include 25 booths that feature the latest information about diabetes medications, treatments and medical equipment. Talk with representatives from the American Diabetes Association and ask questions of diabetes educators and dietitians.
In conjunction with this year's fair is a series of health screenings that will take place in Alton Memorial's Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. The package of screenings costs $15 and space is limited. Screenings include blood pressure, a blood glucose check, a Body Mass Index measurement, A1C screenings and foot screenings.
To register for the fair and also for the screenings, call 1-800-392-0936.
Dr. James Lieber, an optometrist with the Godfrey Lions Club, will provide free diabetic retinopathy screenings (no appointments required) in the lobby. For those who do not wish to go through the full series of screenings, blood pressure and glucose checks will be available at no cost in the lobby. No appointments are required for the free screenings.
The Diabetes Health Fair will feature two presentations. At 6:30 p.m., Melanie Wylie of Alton Memorial Hospital's Center for Senior Renewal will discuss how to handle the stress of being diagnosed with diabetes.
"Diabetes can cause a lot of stress because of the many lifestyle changes people have to make to continually manage the disease," Wylie says. "It's important for everyone to manage stress but it's especially important for those with diabetes. Stress can affect diabetes control. With stress, the body goes into a fight-or-flight response where blood sugars rise along with blood pressure and heart rate."
Stress also triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol that delivers a triple whammy of increasing appetite and carbohydrate cravings � which can lead to weight gain. In addition, stress decreases the ability to processes carbohydrates, weakens the immune system and impairs the ability to process information. Digestion also may stop or slow due to stress hormones, which can cause nausea.
At 7:30 p.m., Carol Schlitt, a registered dietitian with the University of Illinois Extension, will show how to whip up delicious, diabetes-friendly desserts in "Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth: Baking with Artificial Sweeteners."
Tony's restaurant of Alton will serve a free, diabetic-friendly meal in the hospital cafeteria beginning at 6 p.m. Visitors are welcome to take their meals into the cafeteria conference rooms to hear Wylie and Schlitt speak. Tables will be provided on which to place your meal.
Fairgoers can enter Alton Memorial Hospital either at the Emergency Department entrance or at the Smith Wing (valet) entrance. Signs will lead them to the Diabetes Fair in the lobby. The hospital's shuttle will be in operation to take people from the parking lot to the entrance.
According to the American Diabetes Association, the number of Americans with diabetes increased by 61 percent during the 1990s, and nearly a quarter of Americans 60 and older has diabetes. Almost 240,000 deaths in 2005 listed diabetes as a contributor, and diabetes is likely to be underreported as a cause of death. Close to 24 million Americans now have diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce any insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. This form of the disease is associated with older age, obesity, family history, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity.
Did you know Riverbender.com is free for you thanks to our awesome advertisers? We noticed you're using an ad block software. Please give our sponsors some exposure by disabling your ad blocking service for Riverbender.com.
