The Local and European elections will take place on the 24th of May 2019. Campaigns from all parties are now currently underway and election representatives will be calling to all households.
This is a key opportunity to use your voice and highlight your concerns.
On Your Doorstep
In preparation for the upcoming Local and European elections, as a community we are a force to be reckoned with. But we’ve got to act together.
In contemplation of this, we prepared some key questions and discussion points for you to adapt and change to suit your current Diabetes related needs.
Take a look at our suggested questions, and follow on discussion headings for you to substitute in what is most important to you:
- How many of us have diabetes in Ireland?
Today, there are an estimated 225,000 people living with diabetes in Ireland or so we think as we do not have a National Diabetes Register. Each year a further 12-14,000 people are newly diagnosed so it is assumed prevalence rates are increasing but diabetes resources are not.
2. More Staff Resources needed to help me
To effectively, plan and correctly resource services to support our current and future health needs, we need to know how many people live with diabetes and where they live. For these elections, we estimate that there are about 10% of each local electorate living with diabetes daily – a sizeable electorate –
Ask your local candidate
- How many of your constituents have Diabetes?
- What will you do to get more resources to support people with diabetes in my Constituency? (This question should be adapted to whatever your need is right now – it maybe an extra Diabetes Nurse/Dietician in your local diabetes hospital service, or to help your local GP or you may have other issues etc.)
- Would you support a call for a National Diabetes Register?
In conversation with candidates
A. Be prepared to tell the public representative your personal story with Diabetes.
B. Make sure they understand your daily challenges.
C. Highlight the deficiencies in the Diabetes Service of your choosing lacking in your area.
[referred to at q2 above]
With these upcoming elections and a Dail Eireann General Election in the not too distant future, we will need to stand together as one diabetes community and ask election candidates what they intend to do to help improve diabetes services nationwide. After these elections, Diabetes Ireland will of course continue to advocate until we see a diabetes services that can provide the quality service we deserve regardless of where we live.
Let’s make Diabetes the number 1 issue on the doorstep!!