Diabetes patients highlight value of ‘humanized’ healthcare and emotional support

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The Spanish Diabetes Federation (FEDE) is campaigning to make visible the value of patient associations, saying comprehensive treatment and care is needed. “truly humanized” patients with diabetes mellitus “emotional support”. They do it after the magazine Diabetes treatment published a study that shows that depression and anxiety are two to three times more common in people with diabetes than in the general population.

Juan Francisco Peran (FEDE): “The humanization of health concerns aspects that go beyond health and the conditional factors in a person’s daily life, such as emotional”

“The humanization of health addresses aspects beyond health and the conditioning factors in a person’s daily life, as is the case with the emotional.”– assured Juan Francisco Peran, President of FEDE, who took the opportunity to recall that patient associations “They are a very important actor because they offer a space for sharing experiences between peers, satisfying emotional needs that are not currently covered by social networks.”

FEDE emphasizes that associationism “Shake hands” patients by providing information and resources, as well as emotional support spaces where they can share their experiences, as up to 17% of patients with type 2 diabetes suffer from depression. The Federation is promoting a new edition of the campaign Prescribes associationism for diabetes, through which patient associations will be visible as active agents in education and empowerment, and as support in caring for their emotional health.

FEDE states the supportive role of associations as active agents of emotional support for patients with diabetes

Federations and associations affiliated to FEDE have support services, such as access to specialized psychologists, who help the patient cope with erroneous beliefs or negative thinking patterns that may influence their behavior and therefore the correct treatment of diabetes. FEDE emphasizes that recognizing and validating patients’ emotions is essential to living with the condition.

The human connection that is achieved in workshops and groups by sharing experiences, fears and challenges helps alleviate the loneliness and stress that diabetes entails. These are support networks that foster a sense of belonging and understanding.