Walking Away From Diabetes

What started off as a group of retirees meeting periodically to walk around Pearlridge Center, perhaps window shopping for grandkids while socializing, has turned into a daily life-saving event that many Leeward seniors participate in and benefit from.

Calling themselves the Pearlridge Pacers, the seniors who participate in this exercise program start their day with a brisk walk around the mall. It's a perfect exercise for seniors and others battling pre-diabetes and diabetes.

After their walks, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the first Monday and third odd Monday of every month, many of the Pacers continue on to the Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi booth at Pearlridge Uptown for free blood pressure checks and diabetes screenings. The Kapi'olani booth also makes available a variety of educational literature on diabetes, cholesterol and related health issues.

Seeing the group buzzing around the booth has attracted others, young and old, to participate in the checks and screenings too, bringing about 75 people to the Kapi'olani booth on those Mondays and making them more proactive about their health.

More than 18 million Americans, from adolescents to seniors, have diabetes. Pacific Islanders and Asian-Americans are at increased risk. In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians, Japanese and Filipinos are twice as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as Caucasians, according to 2002 American Diabetes Association statistics.

Many of those who visit Kapi'olani's Pearlridge Uptown booth for blood sugar and blood pressure checks have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes and want to keep track of their blood sugar level. Others who are experiencing no symptoms of diabetes come to the booth for screenings, and some of them are found to be suffering from the disease.

Early screenings are recommended to detect pre-diabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Once pre-diabetes is diagnosed, with good diet and regular exercise a person can prevent or at least delay the onset and life-threatening complications of diabetes for many years.

Regular exercise, like the Pearlridge Pacers' brisk old-fashioned walking for 30 minutes five days a week, is enough to help lower the body's blood sugar and cholesterol levels. To build on the benefits of such exercise, a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, can reduce fat and caloric intake.

More Information on our Diabetes Management Program