How do I access resources for people with diabetes from different cultures or creeds or who do not speak English?

How do I access resources for people with diabetes from different cultures or creeds or who do not speak English?

Diabetes disproportionately affects those in our society who are non-Caucasian minorities and often it is harder to ensure that high quality care is provided. For example, only half as many Hispanic Americans with diabetes are currently achieving treatment goals for diabetes set by the American Diabetes Association as are achieved by Caucasian Americans. In some cases the reasons are cultural, in others economic, and in other cases they result from language and communication barriers. There is increasing interest in providing tools and resources to overcome these barriers and rectify these disparities. Many guides and booklets, such
as diabetic recipe books, are also published in Spanish and other common languages. A number of diabetic cookbooks are available for different types of cuisine. Your local medical center will often provide translation services for visits with the doctor, nurse educator, or dietitian.

These professionals often have materials in different languages to give you. Your local chapter of the American Diabetes Association or Juvenile Diabetes Foundation is generally a good place to start, as they often respond with commitment and energy to support the needs of particular groups who are represented in their local area. The website http://www. lacountyparks.org/cms1_033139.pdf also provides a listing of diabetes resources available for non-Englishspeaking people, while the Joslin Diabetes Center offers an innovative Chinese-English diabetes website at http://aadi.joslin.harvard.edu/.

Pharmaceutical representatives often provide tremendous support to the efforts of healthcare professionals in identifying resources to improve patients’ access to care. Their commitment to patient care frequently extends beyond ensuring the availability of their companies’ medications and they will usually go to great lengths to obtain helpful information. If you are taking a particular branded medication, it is not unreasonable to suggest to your doctor or diabetes educator that the representative of that company might help to find the information or resources that you need. They are often very happy to do so upon request.