As part of World Diabetes celebrations this year, Diabetes Ireland will be kicking off events with its Diabetes Health Awareness Exhibition taking place in the Riu Plaza The Gresham Hotel, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1 from 12 noon to 4.30pm on Sunday 10th November.   

This free event will provide an array of attractions for the public such as Blood Pressure checks, Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessments, Weight and Waist Circumference assessments and CPR Introduction sessions along with a range of education workshops for people living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that will run throughout the day.  

There will also be a wide range of companies exhibiting on the day, showcasing the latest medical technology along with a broad range of healthy living stands and other diabetes related services and professionals in attendance to answer queries from attendees.  

Ms Sinead Powell, Diabetes Education & Support Co-ordinator, Diabetes Ireland said “its been five years since we held the exhibition in Dublin. Normally, we see over 1,500 attendees at this flagship event and we hope to see similar numbers this year. We are keen to welcome as many people living with diabetes and their families and those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes attend the event. Recently, there has been a lot of positive developments in relation to diabetes management so the focus of our education sessions will be on updating attendees on good management techniques and diabetes technology developments.  

We will have a range of expert speakers on the day. From a Type 1 diabetes perspective, the focus will be on the availability of, and benefits of, diabetes technology in managing your condition. Together with Diabetes Technology Network (Ireland), there will be interesting sessions provided by diabetes technology specialists, Dr Hannah Forde, Consultant Endocrinologist, Beaumont Hospital, who will provide an overview of diabetes technologies available in Ireland and how to use them best, and Ms Mary Finn, Clinical & Research Dietitian, Tallaght Hospital, will discuss using diabetes technology to understand the impact of exercise in managing your condition. Attendees will also have a chance to “Check the Tech” at the Exhibition! For children we also have Quentin the Magician, who will be hosting his magic show on the day.   

For adults with Type 2 diabetes, Dr Michael Lockhart, Consultant Endocrinologist, University Hospital Galway will be speaking about the importance of good diabetes management, understanding what the various blood tests results are telling you and how to improve them and will be supported by Ms Louise Enright, Psychologist and Ms Louise McHugh, Senior Podiatrist who will be speaking about looking after your mental health and caring for your feet respectively.  

“This is a great opportunity for the diabetes community and their families to come out and hear directly from the experts. With so much diabetes expertise under one roof, it’s an event not to be missed and I would urge everyone to avail of this great opportunity” Ms Powell concluded. For further information on the speakers and exhibitors at the Diabetes Health & Wellbeing Exhibition, visit https://www.diabetes.ie/diabetes-ireland-health-awareness-event-exhibition-2024/ .