My Mom used to think that she had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). She had six children within eight years, worked inside and outside the home, cared for her ailing mother, and always had energy to grab a rake or broom and start cleaning out the garage. I spoke to her yesterday and she now feels that she just has lots of energy and, I would add, the ability to stay focused on the task(s) at hand. Mom is well known for being knee-deep in a cleaning project at home, and within 10 minutes, have the family fed, clothed, organized, then dash out the door in a fabulous dress, paint her nails in the car, and arrive at an evening event without a hair out of place.
I bring this up because I could use a little bit of Mom’s energy and focus this week. I have been suffering from writer’s block and cannot stay focused. Over the past week I have started at least three blog posts, but have struggled to complete one.
I know that writer’s block often results from the writer being distracted, unable to focus, or concentrate on the work at hand.
Of course, this got me thinking about diabetes.
How do our patients with diabetes deal with their disease when distracted? What is their response when under stress from work or family issues, and when caring for their diabetes is not of the greatest importance? If I push off writing my blog for a few days, who cares? (Hopefully my readers do!) But if our patients neglect to take their medicine for a few days, or have not exercised in a week, or missed their last A1C test, who cares? What damage is done?
It is easy to let a little distraction evolve into a serious problem. Can we do anything to help them stay focused?
With diabetes, might it be more than just distraction or lack of focus? Trouble concentrating can also be a symptom of depression.
Do you screen for depression in your patients? What tools do you use? If your patient suffers from depression, do they find solutions or help from peers during your Conversation Map sessions? Let me know.
Cathy