The National Indigenous Diabetes Association, the Spirit Healthcare Group, the Canadian Association of Optometrists, and the Diabetes Integration Project (“we”) offer this handbook as a guide to help you understand what you need to know about diabetes. This handbook is for Indigenous Peoples who are either living with diabetes or who are hoping to prevent it.

The original Pathway to Wellness (2005) was a joint initiative with the National Indigenous Diabetes Association (NIDA) and the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association (CINA). This updated edition is the product of a partnership between the National Indigenous Diabetes Association, the Spirit Healthcare Group, the Canadian Association of Optometrists, and the Diabetes Integration Project.

We acknowledge and graciously thank all the people who contributed their time and expertise in updating Pathway to Wellness. Special thanks to NIDA Elders Caroline Daigneault and Robert Fenton for sharing about the Medicine Wheel; Jillian Paulmark and Derek Risbey for their dedication, guidance and contributions; Amanda de Faye for her contributions to the physical activity section; and Canadian Association of Optometrists for contributing the Diabetic Retinopathy section.

This handbook is partially based on information provided in the Canadian Diabetes Association’s 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada. We recommend you use this book along with proper medical advice and guidance from your health care professionals. You can find the 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines here: http://guidelines.diabetes.ca/cpg