EXPO Offers Comprehensive Information About Diabetes
DENVER (CBS4) - More than 300,000 Coloradans live with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association's EXPO is one-stop-shopping for the health and wellness information that a diabetic needs. There are even health screenings so that patients can keep track of their health.
"It's so important to know for one thing, if you have diabetes, to know how you're doing with your diabetes. 'How am I? Am I taking care of myself? Are the risk factors that I need to be aware of like BMI … is my weight under control? Have I made progress or have I slipped?' " explained Carrie Greer, the Committee Chair for EXPO.
One of the scariest aspects of diabetes is that you can have it without even knowing it. Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough yet to be classified as diabetes. EXPO is a great place to get a preliminary test which will let you know if you qualify as prediabetic.
"In Colorado, 319,000 people have diabetes. But it's startling how many more people have prediabetes … that's preventable. And so for them to be able to catch it now instead of having to deal with all the repercussions of diabetes, that's very empowering," Greer told CBS4.
You are at higher risk of developing diabetes if you're overweight, getting older, or have a family history of the disease. Once you develop diabetes it's expensive and time consuming to take proper care of yourself.
According to the Denver chapter of the American Diabetes Association, Coloradans with diabetes pay about $12,000 a year for medical treatment. EXPO is a place where you can learn about the latest research and technology for managing the disease.
"Diabetes is constantly changing, the treatment evolved, there are always new therapies available. It's really hard to stay on top of that. This is a great opportunity for people to come in and learn from experts," Greer added.
More and more children are being diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. EXPO offers an excellent Youth Zone for the kids. There are games and fun activities and all the while the kids are learning about diabetes.
"Every child that goes to the Youth Zone will get their teddy bear; will be able to treat their teddy bear as if they have diabetes. They'll be able to do blood sugar tests. They'll be able to treat them with insulin, and feed them appropriately," Greer explained.
There's also a lot of important information for adults. You can hear inspirational speakers tell their stories of living with diabetes. You can participate in panel discussions about the latest diabetes research, emotional issues related to diabetes, and physical complications associated with the disease. There are also cooking demonstrations and exercise instruction.
"This is new this year, that we have a café in the EXPO, so it's an informal environment. Anybody can walk up to a health professional, they can talk to a dietician, they can talk to an endocrinologist or a physician," Greer said.
EXPO also provides education in English and Spanish. The Por Tu Familia Zone offers testing, information and activities entirely bilingual.
"Diabetes is a hugely prevalent within the Hispanic population and our mission is to reach out to as many people with diabetes as we can," Greer explained.
The theme of this year's EXPO is "Discover the Ultimate You." The American Diabetes Association encourages everyone to come out to EXPO whether you have diabetes or not. The health and wellness information offered can really benefit anyone who's resolved to live a healthier life.
"We have an 'Ultimate You' theme through EXPO this year … where people will learn about healthy eating, recipes and exercise demonstrations. Everyone can benefit from that," Green said.
The American Diabetes Association EXPO is Saturday, Feb. 7th from 8:30 – 3 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center.
LINK: The American Diabetes Association EXPO in Denver
--Written for CBS4Denver.com by Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
