Mentors to help pre-diabetics.

I would have found it useful to have a Mentor in addition to a HCP, but not as a replacement .

I think there is a place for mentors - this Forum, for instance! - but it would need careful thought and assignment. For example, there would be no point giving me a Type II mentor who ate the diet recommended by the NHS.

Viv

viviennem said:
I think there is a place for mentors - this Forum, for instance! - but it would need careful thought and assignment. For example, there would be no point giving me a Type II mentor who ate the diet recommended by the NHS.

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The problem is that we, (as we like to think :lol: )are capable of screening out "bad" practices.
How do we ensure that mentors will be open enough in outlook to provide support and information that the patient needs and not just corral the patient in the direction the mentor wants to go in. :twisted:
Its a case of stamping out ALL prejudices, including your/our own.

I wasn't intending to be prejudiced, Fergus. If the NHS diet works for some people, then fine - it just doesn't work for me. If I was a complete newbie, inexperienced and with little knowledge, a mentor trained in the 'acceptable' or 'conventional methods' of control would have me heading down completely the wrong path.

I have enough trouble with some of my HCPs :roll:

Open-mindedness is the key. Mentors should be trained to know there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution to Type II diabetes.

Viv

Viv,
Sorry, I wasn't sniping at you.
mea culpa!, mea maxima culpa!
I am very much a lower carber myself. I just want us, as potential mentors to not follow blindly down our personal alleyway as after all we aren't HCPs after all :twisted:
Perhaps, the best route would not be 1:1 mentoring, but in groups and the patient is free to contact any of the mentors that can feed them support.

This was talked about this morning on BBC Breakfast. They had two visitors, from Diabetes UK, so their opinions are not very useful to us as we know better :lol: . I agree the mentoring system would be a very good idea though providing they are open-minded in their opinions.

I think support groups are a good idea, and only wish there was an easy way of doing it in a wide-spread rural practice.

Maybe I'll suggest we could have a discussion group on the (few) occasions when our diabetic nurse comes along. I haven't seen him yet, and that's since asking last October! Though our practice nurse is very good, and very open-minded. Maybe she's my first port of call re support/mentor groups. I'll sound her out on Thursday - next blood test day!

Viv

I had a superb mentor that helped me with my pump last August, and continues to do so even now. I met her through this forum, and before I even went on the pump she prepared me, and phoned me every single day. I would never have got through it if I had not had this forum's help and the lovely lady that was effectively 'my mentor'.

Even to this day, when my hospital appointments have been missed 2 out of the last 4 times by the HCP, I have managed due to the help that I got from here and from 'my mentor'.

I feel very lucky that I have had such help and support from her and from this forum, without it I would not have come this far. I wish that HCP's would all consider having 'mentors' in place, I definitely would not have continued using the pump if it had been down to just my HCP's, as when I was getting trouble with the flexilink plus's and my medications affecting my levels, then it has been my mentor and this forum that has given me the support that I needed.

The same with my dvla experience, the head honcho from the diabetic clinic said I would lose my licence for at least a year-I didn't, and the battle that I had was reinforced from the strength and help that I had from persons here, and again 'my mentor'.

I have been very, very lucky, and I really do value the support that I have gained from joining 'our little community' more than anybody will ever realise....

It's pre-diabetics getting the mentoring. So I guess diet and "lifestyle" will be the main topics of mentoring. With diet being a contentious area, how will this work? The professional advice the mentors get will be to advise the eatwell plate to their people. In the article , the mentor was asking about cutting back on cheese. What happens when the pre-D chooses low carb after reading up on the subject? It's going to be awkward to evaluate the outcomes.

I think having a mentor for newly diagnosed and pre diabetics would be a fantastic idea as it is very scary when you have no idea about what to do next after getting the news that you are diabetic. I think it could take a lot of stress off the diabetes HCP's and they may start to treat us with more respect if there is no need to constantly reasure people and get asked the same questions over and over times a million... so for me it's mentors instead of, no. But AS WELL AS HCP's when getting check ups and so on, yes.

Mentors are a good idea. However the onus of responsibility should still be with a health care professional. It should not be passing on the responsibility or duty of care. Thus it should just be to help learn from another who has diabetes. I am presuming the mentor has diabetes?