Who We Are

THE ESSENCE OF THE FOUNDATION

The active concern with educating patients started some 70 years ago when Dr. Elliot P. Joslin realized the importance of educating both persons with diabetes and their families in order to sustain life.

This was long before education became an accepted part of treatment. It was once considered a luxury. Dr. Joslin's attitude was " The diabetic who knows the most lives the longest." More recently the World Health Organization has stated that "Education is a cornerstone of diabetic therapy and vital to the integration of the diabetic to society."

Why is education so important?

Survival is probably the best reason for educating diabetics. Other reasons are to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of diabetes care.

The education of the patient which the Foundation is trying to promote can only be achieved if there will be a team approach on the part of the health care providers. A team is ideal because diabetes is so complex and demanding that no doctor can have the time to fully handle everyone of the patient's needs. The team includes the doctor as the coordinator and main medical decision maker, along with an array of other health professionals, such as dietitian, nurse educator, social worker, psychologist, podiatrist, among others.