Improved diabetes control equals improved quality of life

Good diabetes management is vital for continued good health and long life. Good diabetes management starts with understanding the impact poorly controlled diabetes can have on one’s quality of life. 

To help patients improve control of their condition, Diabetes Ireland is hosting a diabetes management workshop in the Regency Hotel, Swords Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, on Sunday 16 November at 2pm.

Entitled “Head to Toe Management” the overall purpose is to inform people with diabetes on how to cope with feelings at and from diagnosis onwards, how best to manage their condition from day to day and allay their concerns on the future development of complications through action.

There are separate themed patient education workshops for people with Type 1 diabetes, Parents & Teens with Type 1 diabetes and for people with Type 2 diabetes.

From a Type 1 perspective, the workshop will focus on aspects from the emotional impact of diagnosis to the stress of daily living with the condition such as managing insulin adjustment, good food choices and exercise to prevent high and low blood glucose levels. The workshop will also focus on lifestyle issues and concerns people face in relation to avoidance of complications, sick day management, sexual dysfunction and planning for pregnancy.
    
For parents and teenagers with type 1 diabetes the focus will be on the emotional impact of a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis on the whole family, the ongoing concerns that parents of children face daily concerns on potential health risks and the importance of good management to avoid them.

The Type 2 diabetes workshop will focus on coping with lifestyle change as a result of diagnosis. It will look at the impact of Type 2 diabetes on the cardiovascular system, the importance of medications, diet & exercise and the importance of looking after one’s eyes and feet so as to recognise the danger signs of developing eye & footcare problems.

On the day, there will also be a “Type 1 Patient Experience” session where 3 people with Type 1 diabetes, one a mother on her experience of raising a family and coping with her condition, the second a young girl with Type 1 diabetes on her experience of inter railing (travelling) around Europe and thirdly a young man on everyday sport & Type 1 diabetes will speak about living daily with the condition and how they manage.

To register, contact Diabetes Ireland on 1850 909 909/ 01 8428118. Registration costs €5 per person. 
 
Editors Notes:
 
For more information and interviews, contact Gary Brady on 01 8428118.
 
Diabetes Ireland is the national charity dedicated to providing support, education and motivation to all people affected by diabetes. It also raises public awareness of diabetes and its symptoms and funds Irish-based research into diabetes.
 
This initiative is being launched as part of Diabetes Ireland’s World Diabetes Day (14 November) celebrations. For more information about other World Diabetes Week events or about diabetes, contact Diabetes Ireland on 1850 909 909 or visit www.diabetes.ie
 
Text DIABETES to 50300 to donate €2. 100% of text cost goes to Diabetes Ireland across most network providers. Some providers apply VAT which means that a minimum of €1.63 will go to Diabetes Ireland.  Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 0766805278.
 
Diabetes in Ireland
The International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas (2013) estimate there are now 207,490 people with diabetes in Ireland in the 20 – 79 years age group (prevalence of 6.5% in the population) which is in line with previous estimates which said that by 2030 there will be 278,850 people with the condition (prevalence of 7.5% in the same population) in The Policy Puzzle, Is Europe Making Progress? (2012) estimates.
 
It is also estimated  there are 2,750 people under 20 years of age living with Type 1 diabetes and in the over 80 age group, it is estimated that there are over 15,600 people with Type 2 diabetes. 
 
Thus, the total number of people living with diabetes in Ireland now is estimated to be 225,840.  

 
References:
1. Mekary, R. A., Giovannucci, E., Willett, W. C., van Dam, R. M., & Hu, F. B. (2012). Eating patterns and type 2 diabetes risk in men: breakfast omission, eating frequency, and snacking. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(5), 1182–1189. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.028209
 
Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study showed during the overall follow-up of 10 years (from the initial randomization), type 2 diabetes incidence in the original lifestyle intervention group was reduced by 34% compared with the control group.
 
Knowler WC, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, et al. (2009) 10-Year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. Lancet ;374:1677–1686.
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Prevent 80% of new cases by addressing all the risk factors.
Tuomilehto, J. Peter Schwarz, P,  Lindström, J. ( 2011)    Long-Term Benefits From Lifestyle Interventions for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Time to expand the efforts. Diabetes Care.  vol. 34 no. Supplement 2 S210-S214
 
Prevent or delay 70% of new cases by adopting healthier lifestyle – International Diabetes Federation 2014.