9. Educate yourself.
It's not just the person in your care who needs to learn about this disease. If you want to be a valuable partner with her as she manages her condition, you'll need to get up to speed, too. Ask her to let you participate in visits with her primary diabetes care provider if you need more information or have questions about her diagnosis or treatment, or ask her to give her doctor permission to speak with you about it.
An authoritative guide to the disease can also be useful to read, although it won't be able to assess a particular situation. The American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes, Diabetes for Dummies by endocrinologist Alan Rubin, or The Joslin Guide to Diabetes by Richard S. Beaser of the internationally renowned Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, are a few good choices.
Online resources include the website of the American Diabetes Association, the nation's leading health organization for diabetes research, resources, and advocacy; the National Diabetes Education Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, a service of the NIH. The more you learn, the more effective a partner you'll be.
