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Educating and mentoring youth with diabetes and their parents
The A1C Champions® Program, sponsored by sanofi-aventis, is a patient-led approach to diabetes education. A1C Champions® are real people who have diabetes and are successfully managing it. They empower and motivate other patients by sharing not only their successes, but also the challenges and obstacles they've overcome and continue to face in managing their diabetes. A1C Champions® help others through the self-management and lifestyle strategies they've learned from their personal experience and training.
The newest A1C Champions® program is an interactive, one-hour program in which Champions provide education and mentoring to youth with diabetes and their parents. A Champions team (a youth with type 1 diabetes and the youth's parent) will facilitate this program, which is designed to help both youth with diabetes and their parents. The Champions team will educate young people with diabetes about the importance of controlling their blood sugar and the choices they have in managing their diabetes. And parents will learn how to work through some of the challenges they face raising a child with a chronic disease – supporting their child while letting him or her be independent; coping with stress, anger, guilt and fear; guiding their child through his or her challenges; helping a child accept the diagnosis; adjusting their family's routine to fit with their child's diabetes management, while maintaining a sense of normalcy; communicating with their child; etc.
Although most families have already heard all about diabetes self-management from their healthcare team, hearing it from other youth and parents is different. The Champions teams have "walked in their shoes" – have experienced the ups and downs of living day-to-day with diabetes – and can truly understand how they feel. Patient mentoring can change attitudes, behaviors and lives.
If you and your child would like to be a Champions® team, please review the following criteria:
Youth
- Is between the ages of 12 and 17 (as of July 1, 2009)
- Has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
- Has an A1C <7
- Is comfortable in talking with groups
- Communicates openly with his/her healthcare team
- Understands and follows the key steps in self-management (healthy eating, exercise, insulin, stress reduction)
Parent
- Collaborates with child to manage child's diabetes
- Supports child's decisions and ideas regarding treatment
- Encourages independence in child's diabetes self-care
- Empathizes with child and understands child's challenges
- Willing and able to drive a rental car for programs
Both
- Have a passion for helping you with diabetes and their families.
- Are able to participate in two events per in a three month period, some involving flights and an overnight stay (all events will be on the weekend)
- Want to share their experiences with diabetes
- Are willing to commit to the training process (self-study and 2-3 day on-site training session)
- Have a positive attitude
- Are compassionate
- Would be willing and able to fly for programs and training
Target Areas
We are looking for A1C Champions from the following locations:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Washington, DC
- Orlando, Tampa and Miami, FL
- Chicago, IL
- Baltimore, MD
- Boston, MA
- St. Louis, MO
- Newark, NJ
- New York City area
- Cincinnati, OH
- Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA
- Dallas and Houston, TX
If you are interested, please complete the Patient Information Sheet – Youth and Patient Information Sheet – Parent, both in Microsoft Word format. Instructions for submitting these are on the forms. After receiving and reviewing the Patient Information Sheets, you will be contacted by someone from the A1C Champions® Business Office regarding next steps. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call Becky Lodes at 1-866-741-7047, ext. 1105.
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Last Updated: Tuesday December 08, 2009 11:35:52
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