Offering Social Support
The value of family, friends, and community as a means of social support for individuals living with T2DM must be recognized. Assessment of patients living with T2DM should include availability, sources, and quality of social support provided. Once effective sources of social support have been identified, strategies for receiving positive support should be discussed with patients and included as part of the self-management plan. Family and friends who offer support to patients living with T2DM should be included in education and care as often as possible. Clinicians can connect patients with community resources, including educational and peer support group meetings in the community, churches, and online. Individuals living with T2DM should receive information regarding clinics that provide medications, glucose strips, insulin, and glucometers (Bellamy et al., 2011). For patients living in rural resource-poor communities, support can be offered through telephone calls. Clinicians can use calls to establish and monitor behavioral goals related to self-management (Davis et al., 2012).