The number of diabetics is growing in Houston County, according to 2017 study

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Nurses from all over Middle Georgia had a lesson on Diabetes Wednesday.

The lesson was part of the Diabetes Update Program. It’s a annual program designed to educate nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists on diabetes and how to properly take care of their patients.

Deborah Warner is a nurse and diabetic who attended the event.

“Diabetes is a serious disease and it takes a lot of effort and work and time to deal with it,” Warner said.

She was diagnosed with the disease after years of teaching other people about diabetes.

“In my family it was genetic, so I always as a nurse watched in my middle forties if it might be coming to me, and it did,” Warner said.

She said she attended the program because there is always something new to learn about diabetes.

The same goes, for Beth Jones, the Director of Community Education Services at Houston Healthcare, who believes you can’t learn enough.

“This is an important topic for all of our nurses to be aware of and to have the best skills and the best knowledge on how to care for a person with diabetes,” Jones said.

A study done by the Professional Research Consultants Incorporation showed diabetes is growing in Houston County. The rate of people who have diabetes went from 11.7% in 2014 to 18.3% in 2017. And reports showed 28% of the 60 years and older population has diabetes.

Warner said it’s important for patients to learn about diabetes, just like nurses do.

“You just have to be diligent and keep going and it’s all work,”she said. “A lot of people aren’t nurses or aren’t health people and they just need to learn as much as possible what they can do to help themselves with this disease.”

According to the Professional Research Consultants Incorporation, diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce or respond appropriately to insulin. The body needs insulin to absorb and use sugar as fuel for the body’s cells.

There are two common types of diabetes, type 1 and 2. But there are other forms of diabetes, like gestational diabetes.