Living Well with Diabetes
About the service
SOAHAC’s Diabetes Education Services are for Indigenous adults (18+) living with Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, or at high risk for developing diabetes. You do not need to have a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner at SOAHAC for these services. The Diabetes Nurse Educator, Registered Dietitian, and Chiropodist (foot care specialist) can support you to live well with diabetes. They provide information and education on things like:
- Blood sugar control
- Home blood sugar monitoring
- Medication and insulin
- Diabetes-related complications
- Foot care
- Meal planning
- Exercise
- Managing stress
We can help you prevent diabetes or diabetes complications by teaching you to manage your care through individual counselling and our Healthy Lifestyles Workshops. We can also support your friends and family in helping you with your care. We encourage you to follow-up with us at least every 3-6 months. Both education and follow-up support are offered in a variety of convenient ways – by appointment, phone, or email.
About the team
Our team has experience serving people who face barriers to care, including transportation, mental health challenges or a low income. We can also support you in accessing other SOAHAC services like Traditional Healing, Supporting Aboriginal Seniors at Home, or Mental Health Services.
Please call us for more information, to book an appointment, or to ask about foot care schedules. A Diabetes Educator is often available for same-day appointments.
Accessing this service
Self-referrals
To access Diabetes Education services on your own (self-referral), please fill out the application form and fax it to 1-855-DIABETS (342-2387). If you are unable to fax it, you can bring it to the SOAHAC location closest to you. If you’re a patient at SOAHAC, you can also ask to be referred to the service.
Referrals by Health Care Providers
Coordinated Access was developed through a partnership between the Ontario West and diabetes educators in the region with the goals of improving access to service and use of resources, streamlining referrals, and gathering valid data to maximize resources.
What is Coordinated Access?
- A single point of contact for all patients in the region
- Simple and more timely access to information regarding the status of a referral for providers and patients
- A central contact point for information regarding system availability and locations for specific types of education and treatment interventions
- Appropriate triaging of referrals
What has changed?
- All existing referral forms to SOAHAC’s diabetes education programs have been replaced by the one Health Care Provider referral form and one Self-Referral form.
- Coordinated Access provides 2 faxed confirmations: first, when the referral is received, and second with the location, date and time of the first booked appointment.
How do I refer a client?
- Complete the referral form and fax it to 1-855-DIABETS (342-2387)
- To refer patients to SOAHAC, indicate us as a preference on the referral form by checking the box marked ‘Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre Service Preferred’ in the first section of the form.
