A helping hand for members with a lifelong disease

John was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year. Since that time, he and his wife Nancy have been doing a good job of managing his doctor appointments and medications in addition to making healthier food choices and fitting in daily exercise. However, they worry that, as time goes on, they will find it more difficult to deal with John’s diabetes. That’s where a UPMC for Life health coach — a nurse, social worker, or other professional trained to “coach” people to learn more about their lifelong diseases — can help.

Health coaches from our health management program will work with you if you have asthma, respiratory disease, diabetes, depression, or heart health issues like heart failure, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Here’s what you can expect when you join the program:

A health coach will call you and ask about your health, diet, and medications. He or she will also ask how your condition affects your daily life. Then the health coach will help you learn more about your condition, its signs and symptoms, and your medications, and will give you guidelines for an appropriate diet and exercise plan.

With your permission, a health coach will contact your doctor and other members of your health care team to let them know how you are doing.

The content in this newsletter is not intended to provide specific medical advice, and members should contact their physician with questions about specific conditions and/or treatment. Not all benefits mentioned in this newsletter will necessarily be available to all members. Members should review their specific plan information to find out which benefits apply to them.

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