Diabetes

After reflecting on taking my mother to what I thought would be just another mommy-daughter day out, I realized that as she continues to get older, these times together are becoming even more vital to her overall wellness. Her daily schedule has become more centered around doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping or playing her favorite game on her Kindle. The days are slower. Less activities and obligations to manage through. Fewer chores. Single digit bills to pay. Two or three people to call or text. While I didn’t think about it, aging and living alone can be quite challenging for a person’s mental state.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to visit a spa and treat yourself to time away from the busyness of daily life, you owe it to yourself to pause and experience it.

After traveling pretty extensively throughout my corporate career, I’ve had the opportunity at times to add to my agenda, trips to the spa. It became exciting to check out a spa in various cities and countries in my quest to compare treatments. Oh what fun it was (and always is). It also allowed me that time to revert to almost a childlike state and let others take care of me. You know, serve you from the time you enter until the time you float out there with wonderful massages, facials, lunches, mani/pedis. “Would you like some tea?” Absolutely! My colleagues and I would always purchase spa gift certificates or reward our staff with trips to the spa during a workday. It served as great team building but we knew, giving employees a chance to recharge for a few hours meant the world to them. Showing employees how much you care in very special way as this proved to be one of the best rewards given in my career (for the women that is).

So, taking my mother to my favorite spa in my hometown for a mani/pedi, I realized that with her having type 2 diabetes, the pedicure was as important to her has having her doctor tell her that her numbers were improving. Now, diabetes runs in my family. I remember vividly helping my grandmother inject insulin in her stomach at night when I visited. While it was shocking to me (I hate needles), she did it with just ease because she had become so used to it. For my mother, she was determined not to have to get injections so she took on the challenge of working on her diet and exercise. I have been so proud of her as she has embarked on this journey to improve her health, and it made me look a bit further into the now epidemic of diabetes that is plaguing our country.

According to the CDC, more than 30 million Americans suffer from both type 1 and type 2 Diabetes. This number continues to grow, and especially among women and now, children. Specifically, African Americans are experiencing the highest rate next to American Indians with this disease. Why? There are many reasons. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity continue to climb to alarming rates. When you look at smoking, lack of physical activity and high glucose levels, this disease is becoming prevalent in not just men and women, but now children.

My mother has this habit of announcing her diabetes to everyone (it seems) that she comes into contact with – waiters at restaurants when she orders, family members in everyday conversation, and he nail technician during her pedicure. In her attempt to “explain” why she can’t eat certain foods (especially with sugar), but also the physical affects to her body. I guess I didn’t realize the impact so much until I got a good look at her legs and feet. She’s always complained about dryness – her medication causes her skin to dry up – literally. Slathering lotions, creams and ointments on her legs in an attempt to keep them moist had turned futile. So, sitting in the comfy chair, as she took off her shoes and had the nail tech pull up her pants to gently set her feet in the warm water to soak, I noticed the dryness. In that moment, I got it. The light bulb went off. This disease is a daily chore – it is always at the forefront of her mind. It’s what she looks to control and conquer.

As the nail tech began her magic, I could see my mom relax. She was no longer embarrassed. She trusted this young woman with magical hands. Tina did wonders for my mom’s feet and legs. By the time, she finished her treatment; her legs and feet were virtually unrecognizable – like a newborn. When I turned to look at my mom, her face told the story. Complete admiration and happiness for this young Generation Z’er who knew exactly what she needed. As fate would have it, this young girl engaged in conversation with my mom that made her feel not ashamed on her diabetes but understood. You see, the young nail technician shared that her grandmother and mother both suffer from diabetes and she provides pedicures monthly to them. She explained why the attention to self-care was so important but also why as a professional, she could do for them what they couldn’t.

That experience was eye opening to say the least. When I think about how many people in my home state alone have been diagnosed with Diabetes, it’s startling. Over 623,000 people, 12% of which are adults. The more I began to think about my mother’s health journey, I realized that yes, it could be hereditary but it is not a death sentence. Proper nutrition is key. So many people live such a fast paced lifestyle, which it’s almost easier to opt for the quick fix. Watching both my mother and my grandmother, I’m here to tell you, reversing the curse is a lifestyle.

Another trend with this disease that is sweeping across the country and with our children is being pre-diabetic. Prediabetes is the condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetes. People with Prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and are at higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

I’m proud of my mom. She has taken steps to bring her numbers down. While the cases of those with diabetes that are senior citizens (the percentage of adults with diabetes increased with age, reaching a high of 25.2% among those aged 65 years or older), my mother has never needed medication. In fact, her doctor shared with her in the summer that her daily medications could be reduced.

While our workforce has become multigenerational, consider wellness programs that can offer employees with diseases like diabetes, services that can address self-care. All ages can benefit and the trickle down effect is enormous. Like my mom, you may not physically see the impacts of what employees suffer from but, by getting to know them or have surveys occasional administered by the “people’s champion” in your office, you can improve their lives not just for the day but create the beginning of a wonderful lifestyle.