Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI)
Managing Your Diabetes
We Educate and Promote Healthy Living
ADI delivers education, activities and clinics to promote healthy living, to help everyone manage their diabetes, and to help reduce the prevalence of diabetes in NCN Citizens.
The focus of ADI is on healthy eating, physical fitness, risk factors, screening and diabetes management. Treatment and care is in accordance with Manitoba Diabetes Care guidelines.
Our diabetes management is educational and fun. Community members learn how to manage diabetes through a healthy lifestyle and medication, as required. Because it is difficult to make healthy lifestyle modifications with a lack of family support, education is available for friends and family.
It’s important to visit us if you or a family member have common diabetes symptoms, such as:
- Unusual thirst
- Frequent urination
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Problems with erections
- Cuts and bruises that heal slowly
Services Include:
- Nutrition, exercise & wellness advice
- Foot care referrals and retinal screening
- Telehealth services
- Home visits
Goals & Objectives
- To improve the health status of Citizens
- To focus on healthy eating, food security, physical activity & obesity
- To increase awareness of diabetes, its risk factors & complications
- To encourage diabetes screening & management
- To encourage members to grow & make their own food
Why do I need this ADI?
Your diabetes is not going to go away, and if you ignore it, it will be difficult to live a fun and fulfilled life. Diabetes can cause many difficulties, and even death. But with proper care and attention to your diabetes, you can live happy and healthy.
How does the ADI program work?
When you know how to take care of your body, it’s possible to live a happy life with diabetes. We’ll teach you what’s happening in your body, and how to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Diabetes education and management is fun! We conduct workshops in our schools, youth centre and at the FCWC. We have group activities, contests and challenges, like the NCN Biggest Loser. We often create raised gardening beds for community use and provide free healthy breakfasts. We can also provide support in Cree!
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not make or use the insulin hormone properly. This inability affects the blood sugars in your body, and can cause many difficulties, including heart and eye diseases, stroke, kidney damage and nerve damage.
The good news is you can manage diabetes through a healthy lifestyle and, possibly, medication. Even better, it’s often possible to avoid diabetes through a healthy lifestyle, including nutritious food, active habits, and stress management.
This program currently operates in Nelson House. If you are in a different community, contact your local sub-office to ask about similar opportunities.