Get back to living your healthiest life. Vivir Saludable con Diabetes can help.

Maybe you took some things for granted – like eating what you want, when you want or taking a break from exercise. Then you found out you have diabetes. Now managing your medications and lifestyle feels like a full time job. It can be overwhelming.  

6 weeks. 15 hours. A lifetime of new options for a healthier you.

Everyone knows new habits take time. In the Vivir Saludable con Diabetes, workshop you get the time and encouragement you need to make the changes you want to make. You’ll build new skills, practice what you learn, and share your experience with others. You’ll set your own goals and priorities. Week by week, you’ll see what works for you and take steps toward healthier living.

Watch this video to learn more about how to take control of your health. (In Spanish only)

What is Vivir Saludable con Diabetes?

A proven program to improve health and well-being for people with diabetes. Learn and share with others. Designed especially for adult learners like you.

Vivir Saludable con Diabetes is a high-level evidence-based workshop for people who have diabetes offered in English and Spanish around Wisconsin. Developed at Stanford University, the workshop meets for 2-1/2 hours, once a week, for six weeks. This community-based program offers tools and resources to enhance your understanding of what it means to have diabetes. Group support helps you build the confidence to manage your diabetes and maintain an active and fulfilling life. It is facilitated by two trained leaders in a small group setting. Each week has various topics related to mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Gain knowledge, share your experience, practice new skills, and help others.

At a Vivir Saludable con Diabetes workshop, you’ll do more than learn about your condition. You’ll practice strategies, support others, and gain new tools to take better care of yourself.  

Is it for me?

You are eligible to participate in this program if you:

• Have Type 2 diabetes

• Have Type 1 diabetes

• Have prediabetes

• Live with someone who has diabetes

The program does not replace existing treatments, but serves to complement your current medical treatment plan.

The Research

Vivir saludable con diabetes has been researched and proven to:

• Reduce emergency department (ED) visits by 53%.

• Improve A1C levels.

• Enhance regular treatment and diabetes education; create a community-clinical link in care

• Help participants with other chronic diseases

• Provide social benefits for participants

• Improve self-rated health and communication with physicians.

• Improved health status, health behavior, and self-efficacy.

• Minimize the adverse effects of diabetes

• Decrease doctor and emergency room visits and hospitalizations

18 months after the workshop (compared to baseline) participants had:

• Lower HbA1C

• Decreased health distress

• Better self-reported health

• Fewer hypo/hyperglycemia symptoms

• Improved self-efficacy to manage disease

• Improved communication with provider

• Fewer ER visits in past 6 months

Research Articles and Resources: See these sites describing the original research supporting the Stanford Diabetes Self-Management Program

What Participants Say

“We learned so much about food, food labels, and food menus”

Jim Coffman, Vilas County

Learn More About Diabetes

• Learn more about Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Questions? Contact salud@wihealthyaging.org

Interested in becoming a facilitator? Visit our Become a Facilitator page to learn more.