Due to increasing demand for services, the Diabetes Ireland Care Centre, in Northwood, Santry has recently expanded its range of services to include counselling and pure tone audiometry hearing test services. In addition, it has also employed a further podiatrist for its footcare service.

Kieran O’Leary, CEO, Diabetes Ireland said “the not-for-profit service was set up to provide rapid and easy access to much needed services and unfortunately we have not been able to cope with demand. In terms of our chiropody & podiatry service, we had reached the point that appointments were being booked 4-6 weeks in advance and this is just not acceptable to us. The addition of a further podiatrist will solve the problem. Our new podiatrist, Graham, comes to us from working in the UK’s NHS and has over 20 years’ experience working as a podiatrist.

The footcare service provides clients with a full diabetic foot screen and assessment; foot and nail care advice and education and an assessment for diabetes friendly footwear. Our service offers a full diabetic foot screen and assessment; foot and nail care treatment and education plus callus and corn removal where necessary. A footwear assessment is also carried out, with professional shoe fitting where necessary. A choice of footwear (orthotics, shoes & socks) is available at extremely competitive prices. “Our goal is to provide specialised footwear only when required by a patient” added Kieran.

The lack of professional psychosocial support services in the HSE is an ongoing issue for people trying to cope with managing a chronic condition, such as diabetes, and other illnesses. To address this need, Diabetes Ireland has launched a new counselling service. Ms Elaine Hanlon, a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist has joined the Care Centre team and has over 12 years’ experience working with individuals and couples through a variety of issues. “With such a paucity of counselling services available locally, Elaine is available to see clients who may benefit from her service regardless of whether they have diabetes or not” said Kieran.

Recent research from the US has shown that exposure to high blood glucose levels over time increases the risk of hearing loss by as much as double in people with diabetes and a third in people with pre-diabetes. Therefore, Diabetes Ireland has entered a partnership with local company Audi-Lab to provide a Pure Tone Audiometry test which is more in-depth than a simple high street hearing screen.  The test includes air conduction and bone conduction testing at all frequencies to find each person’s baseline results, and assesses middle ear function. Tests are carried out by a registered audiologist and results are provided on the spot. The cost for a 1 hour appointment with the audiologist is €15 and is open to any person, not just those with diabetes.

The Centre also provides a dietetic service which provides advice and support in controlling diabetes with diet and physical activity, weight management advice, cardiovascular disease prevention and nutritional advice for people with coeliac disease and for those with diabetes, who are involved in sport. The Centre is also the local hub for the HSE’s diabetic retinopathy screening programme.

The Centre acts as a local resource centre for people seeking support and information on the many facets of diabetes, especially for people newly diagnosed who may be waiting on their first hospital appointment and for those living with the condition for years who may need some additional support to manage their condition more effectively.

To book an appointment or for further information, call 1850 909 909 or visit visit our Care Centre section.