Innovative New Health Service Helps Canadians Prevent and Manage Diabetes

KITCHENER, ON, Dec. 2 /CNW/ - According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, nine million Canadians are living with prediabetes or diabetes, and 500 more are being diagnosed every day. A Kitchener-based company has launched Live Well Coaching™, a health and wellness service to help people prevent and manage diabetes. Clients of the coaching program will have direct access to certified healthcare professionals by telephone and a user-friendly online health portal.

Live Well Coaching was created by MedManager Interactive Corp., a company that has been a leader in online diabetes management software since 2002. MedManager President & CEO, Michael Cowan, explained that the expansion into health coaching services is the result of feedback from people living with diabetes who want more help with their day-to-day efforts.

"Our team of nurses, dietitians and kinesiologists, work with you to create personalized healthy living plans, with the goal of enjoying a longer, healthier life," said Cowan. Clients are provided with a choice of programs to suit their goals and the amount of contact with a coach they want. "We'll be there as much as you need us, as we coach you toward self-managing diabetes or preventing it as much as possible," he added.

The Live Well Coaching program was developed in consultation with physicians, nurses, dietitians and kinesiologists, and reflects the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for diabetes prevention and management. The program complements the care that people receive from their primary healthcare providers and other resources such as Diabetes Education Centres.

Dr. Diana Sherifali, an assistant professor of nursing at McMaster University and Certified Diabetes Educator, believes that services such as Live Well Coaching have the potential to lessen the impact of the growing diabetes epidemic. "The increasing prevalence of diabetes is a huge threat to our healthcare resources and models of care. Innovative programs that combine health professionals and technology to offer remote coaching support could result in improvements for self-management, health outcomes, and health system sustainability," said Dr. Sherifali.

The launch of Live Well Coaching also includes an affiliate program, called Partners in Wellness, designed to raise awareness of diabetes and improve the health of Canadians. Partners in Wellness will include physicians, pharmacists, diabetes educators, health benefit professionals and businesses that actively support employee wellness. Individuals associated with a Partner in Wellness benefit from a special discount on Live Well Coaching services.

Johanne Fortier, a pharmacist and Certified Diabetes Educator, has enrolled her pharmacy in the Partners in Wellness program. Fortier sees "the value that a team of coaches can bring to my clients' health and quality of life, plus the benefits for me when I engage a more empowered client in the pharmacy." 

Live Well Coaching currently offers programs in English. For more information, please visit www.LiveWellCoaching.ca.

About Live Well Coaching™ / MedManager Interactive Corp.

Live Well Coaching™, a division of MedManager Interactive Corp., helps individuals with diabetes prevention and management by providing telephone- and Internet-based support from a team of certified healthcare professionals. MedManager is Canada's leading provider of Internet-based chronic disease management solutions and services. MedManager portals provide individuals and healthcare professionals with online access to the educational, planning, monitoring, and communication tools needed to proactively and interactively manage chronic disease. For more information please visit www.LiveWellCoaching.ca and www.MedManager.ca.

Live Well Coaching™ is a Proud Supporter of
the Canadian Diabetes Association.

For further information:

Joe Whitney 
VP, Marketing & Public Affairs
MedManager Interactive Corp.
Live Well Coaching™
T - [phone] x229
E - [email protected]