Building Competency in Diabetes Education THE ESSENTIALS

11-94 | CHAPTER 11

APPENDIX B

SME on a national and international level Diabetes places major personal, social and economic challenges on society as it becomes a growing health problem throughout the world. The problems associated with this disease are increasing with time as the elderly make up a proportionately larger component of the general population. The treatment of people with diabetes varies, depending on geographic location and access to resources. Recognizing this, various groups at the local, national and international levels have organized themselves and are working toward improving and standardizing care for people with this disease. As your personal expertise grows, you may wish to become more involved in national and international initiatives. Some of these are briefly outlined below. Diabetes Canada Previously known as the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), Diabetes Canada is a national organization working to build awareness of diabetes and its consequences. It is our national voice advocating for those who have diabetes and prediabetes, helping them to live healthier lives. Diabetes Canada also funds researchers looking at all aspects of diabetes with the ultimate hope of finding a cure. It supports professionals with tools, such as this manual, the clinical practice guidelines, patient tools for living with diabetes and an annual conference to inform practitioners regarding ‘best practice’. The Professional Section of Diabetes Canada (previously known as the Diabetes Educator Section [DES] and the Clinical & Scientific Section [C&SS]) is a multidisciplinary group with members across Canada committed to excellence in self-management education and support, research and clinical care. Membership in the Professional Section has been designed to provide a forum for sharing information among health-care professionals working to improve the lives of people with diabetes. Through the online site, “TimedRight”, members have an open forum to communicate with their colleagues in all areas relating to diabetes clinical care and management.

Goals of the Professional Section • To provide leadership in care, education, research, clinical practice and in organizational matters.