Welcome Medicare Nation!  Today’s guest is Melissa Joy Dobbins, a nationally recognized Dietician with more than 20 years of experience dealing with the nutritional needs of not just Seniors, but people with special dietary needs like diabetes.  Melissa will show us how to eat healthy on a fixed income, and the things we can to do use food to help improve our overall health!
  
1.  Family members and the senior need to feel like you are in control of your own choices.  This means you need to take an active role in making great food choices, and feel empowered to make good decisions for yourself.
 
2.  It’s important for adult children to not be afraid to be a backseat driver for your elderly parent. Intervene when needed, but involve them in as many decisions about their nutrition as possible.
           
How to eat healthy on a fixed income:
 

myplate.gov will give you a ton of information.
Fruits and vegetables don’t have to be fresh to provide good nutrition
Eggs are a healthy and affordable addition to the diet, and even though the price has increased recently, they are still cheaper than meat.
Utilize all the healthcare team members you can, in order to make a great nutrition plan for your aging parent.  So consult a dietician to help navigate some of these special needs.  
The importance of a diabetes educator cannot be understated.  Preventative services like these are covered under Medicare Part B, since the Affordable Care Act in 2007. medicare.gov/partb and then go to free preventative services.  

 
 
 
 
Regarding Type II Diabetes:
 

There are some simple, targeted things you can do that will result in better blood sugar control.
If it is caught early enough, there may be changes you can make that can help to keep you off medication.
Diabetes is a progressive disease, so even once you get your symptoms under control, you may eventually have to increase the prescription therapy to keep it under control.
You can control your blood sugars, much like you can control high blood pressure, through a combination of medication, diet, and exercise.  Just because you need one or all of these, does not mean you have failed.

 
 
Anytime you have a progressive disease, like diabetes, your treatment plan will constantly change in order to maintain acceptable blood sugar levels.  Even if you are doing everything right through diet and exercise, medicine may eventually become necessary because of the progressive nature of the disease, not because you have failed.  So it is important to continue to have good nutritional habits even when you get on medication, so that you can control the symptoms.
 
Melissa has a podcast called Sound Bites, where she delves into the science behind smart nutrition, and also deals with the psychology behind emotional eating, and food triggers.  She gives you strategies to help you actually implement all of the sound nutritional advice.  
 
 
Resources:
 
www.soundbitesrd.com - Melissa’s podcast and blog with lots of resources
www.americandiabetesassociation.com - American Diabetes Association
www.diabeteseducator.org - American Association of Diabetes Educators
www.myplate.gov - A great resource for simple, affordable, nutritious meal plans
 
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review in iTunes! (Click here)    
Find out more information about Medicare on Diane Daniel’s website!
 www.CallSamm.com