Navigating this information:

• To search this page use "ctrl" + "f" on PC or "command + f " on Mac and type your search word. 
• To help patients find this page easily if in your office, open this QR code (click here). Have patients hold open camera app over the QR code, touch the URL and they will be taken to this page. 

For your safety, the information in these handouts and resources should be reviewed with your healthcare provider.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or your body does not properly use the insulin it makes. As a result, sugar (glucose) builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy. It is controlled with lifestyle measures, and often medications, including insulin, are needed.

Appointment Preparation & Uploading Device Data

• Please see our Appointment Preparation page

Apps and Forgotten Passwords for Glucose Data:

• Numerous apps are available to assist those with diabetes. These include apps from companies for specific glucose meters, sensors, insulin pumps as well as third party apps. If you've set up an account and forgotten your password, please see this resource.

Classes in the Calgary area (type 2 diabetes):

• Diabetes Canada  Live Virtual Classes for type 2 diabetes 
• Healthy Eating for type 2 diabetes: Alberta Healthy Living Program (for Calgary zone).
• Some Primary Care Networks (PCNs) offer diabetes classes. Check out the PCN in your location.

Resources and Handouts

• AHS MyHealth Alberta Diabetes landing page for education topics
• Diabetes Resources for People in the Calgary Zone (classes, urgent help, routine 1:1 care) 
• Diabetes Canada handouts (includes selected translated resources),  Virtual Classes and their toll-free phone & email support.
• National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA)
• Nutrition education materials (AHS) - click on Diabetes to find publicly available handouts 
• My Health Alberta, includes pages on topics such as Taking Care of Your Feet
• Tagalog Diabetes Handouts: The Mosaic Primary Care Network and the Filipino Healthcare Providers Group of Calgary provided these handouts. The English resource documents from which these were adapted are in brackets. 
  • Just the Basics/Tagalog Mahalagang Pamumuhay Para sa Diabetes (English resource doc is here)
  • What is Diabetes Tagalog - Ano ang Dyabetes (English resource doc is here)
  • Carbohydrate in Foods, Tagalog  (no portions included; the English resource doc is here)
  • Filipino Plate (Platong Pinoy)
  • Managing Your Diabetes Tagalog - Paano Manatiling Malusog Kahit may Diabetes (English resource doc is here)
  • SADMANS Tagalog (English reference doc is here) 
  • Hypoglycemia Tagalog (English resource doc is here)
  • Driving Guidelines and Diabetes Tagalog (Mga Gabay Pagmamaneho) (English resource doc is here)
  • Driving and Hypoglycemia Tagalog (Pagmamaneho at Hypoglycemia) (English resource doc is here)

Definitions and Diagnosis

• Diabetes Fact Sheet
• Type 2 diabetes: the basics (Diabetes Canada)
• What is Diabetes

Safety

• Insulin or medications called insulin secretagogues have the potential to cause low blood sugar. If you are unsure what type of medication you're on, please check with your pharmacist.
  • Low blood sugar (AHS): English; Tigrinya ; Arabic or  Diabetes Canada Handout (English)
  • Hypoglycemia unawareness: When you don't feel your low blood sugar
  • Glucagon and diabetes (AHS)
• Stay Safe When You Are Sick
• Diabetes and Driving (AHS)
• Drivers Medical Standards [Questions about interpretation should be directed to the CCMTA and the Alberta Ministry of Transportation].
• Foot care

Monitoring

• Lab/meter comparison: Testing for accuracy of home glucose monitors requires a lab glucose test (preferably fasting) and a meter glucose test (finger poke) within 5 minutes of drawing blood for the lab. Home meter results should be within 15% of the lab results. The formula: [(lab glucose reading - meter glucose reading)/lab glucose reading] X100 = percent that meter is different from lab.
• Food, insulin and blood sugar recording sheet (AHS)
• Checking your blood glucose in the hospital (AHS)
• A1c Testing (AHS)
• To learn more about glucose sensors or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)  see CGM: The Basics (AHS). Instructional videos on how to use your CGM device are listed on our Videos page. If you use CGM, your educator might recommend that you make adjustments based on trend arrows. If so, please contact your educator for details.
• Your blood sugar log-Fillable PDF (AHS): English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, Tigrinya, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese

Management

• Managing Your Blood Sugars Worksheet (AHS)
• Diabetes Canada patient medication handouts:
  • Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor
  • Biguanide (Metformin)
  • DPP-4 inhibitor
  • GLP-1 & Dual GLP-1/GIP Receptor Agonists
  • Sulfonylurea insulin secretagogue
  • Non-sulfonylurea insulin secretagogue
  • SGLT-2 inhibitor
• Getting Started with Insulin (Diabetes Canada)
• For information on insulin starts please visit Diabetes Canada's Patient Resources page and click Management. Do not start insulin without consulting your healthcare team. Diabetes Canada has a series of videos on starting insulin, available on YouTube:
  • Introduction to Insulin (video)
  • Your Insulin Pen – What you Need to Know (video)
  • How to Inject Insulin – Step-by-step Guide (video)

Nutrition

• Healthy Eating for Diabetes
• Diabetes: Healthy Meal Planning (for more information about carb content of foods)
• Nutrition education materials (AHS) - click on Diabetes to find publicly available handouts
• Glycemic Index (Diabetes Canada)
• Matching insulin to carbohydrate (AHS) (for certain people using rapid insulin)
• Carbohydrate Counting Resources (for certain people using rapid insulin)
  • Your diabetes team will help you decide how to match insulin to carbohydrate. This usually includes counting grams of carbohydrate. Resources:
    • Labels: Subtract the grams of fibre from the grams of carbohydrate for the portion on the label.
    • Restaurant websites: Many fast food and other restaurants have nutrient analysis posted online for their products.
    • Diabetes Canada "Beyond the Basics" Tool. Talk to your dietitian as the full tool is not available online.
    • Nutrient Analysis Apps: Visit your smart phone's app store.  Popular Apps include Calorie King and MyFitnessPal. This doesn’t imply an endorsement, or any guarantee of accuracy or ease of use. You may want to search Appcrawlr for reviews. 
    • General carbohydrate estimates. One carbohydrate choice contains 15 grams of carbohydrate (after the fibre is subtracted). Each of the following is one carbohydrate choice: 1 slice of bread or 1/2 cup (125 mL) cooked pasta/potato/other starch; 1 medium piece of fruit; 1 cup (250 mL) of milk; 1 tbsp (15 mL) of sugar, jam or honey. A general guideline for the number of carbohydrate choices to eat per meal is 2-4 for most women and 4-6 for most men. For snacks: 0-1 for women and 0-2 carb choices for men.
    • Nutrient Analysis Websites: Canadian Nutrient File (for download), Self Nutrition Data, Calorie King 
• Alcohol and Diabetes (Diabetes Canada)

Physical Activity

• Benefits of Physical Activity (Diabetes Canada)
• Physical Activity and Diabetes (Diabetes Canada)
• Diabetes Canada Handouts and Video under Management

Diabetes in Pregnancy

• Our clients, please see our Diabetes in Pregnancy Page
• Pregnancy and Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes (AHS)
• Type 1 and type 2 diabetes after pregnancy (AHS)

Insulin Pump Therapy Handouts and Pump Reps

• Please see our Insulin Pump Therapy page

Travel and Diabetes

• See this page

Additional Resources

• Adjusting Your Diabetes Medicine & Diet for 
  • Fasting Blood Tests 
  • Hydrogen Breath Test (HBT) for Lactose intolerance 
  • Hydrogen Breath Test (HBT) for Small Bowel Overgrowth 
  • Gastroscopy or EGD  
  • Barium Enema or Colonoscopy 
• Skin care products to help address skin irritation sensors or pumps 
• Neuropathy Resources
  • Patient Information Sheet
  • Patient Information Trifold

Research Studies

If you are interested in being part of any diabetes research studies please visit the University of Calgary's Clinical Trials Unit website for opportunities: https://www.ucalgary.ca/diabetes-clinical-trials.

• If you have type 2 diabetes and BMI over 25: You may qualify for the TRANSCEND-T2D trial: patients are randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 study medications. All study participants receive active medication.