Diabetes sufferers to be helped by courses (From Malvern Gazette)

County diabetes sufferers to be helped by courses

2:30pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By James Connell

INFORMATION STATION: Sarah Almond and Rosanne Dunkley, front, with a group of sufferers on a diabetes XPERT course.

THE number of people with diabetes is likely to grow by 100 people a month over the next few years in Worcestershire, say health experts.

There are 28,000 people in the county living with diabetes at the moment.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is running free diabetes courses at venues across the county, helping anyone with diabetes to understand and manage their condition.

During the last 12 months, the trust’s team has delivered more than 1,000 hours of diabetes education.

The sessions are open to all, whether for an existing condition or new diagnosis. Those who are interested in the sessions can ask their GP if they want to attend.

There are three different programmes available – Diabetes XPERT, which is a six-week course for people with type two diabetes being treated with diet or tablets; XPERT Insulin, a six-week course for type one or two diabetes being treated with insulin, and DAFNE, a six-day course for type 1 diabetes being treated with multiple daily injections Each session has eight to 15 places, and courses are taught by diabetes specialist nurses or dieticians.

The teaching is practical, and intended to give examples that will be useful in everyday life.

Living with diabetes does not simply mean avoiding sugar, and the aim of the courses are to help people with diabetes understand how to have a healthy balanced diet.

Sarah Almond, diabetes specialist nurse, said “Over the six weeks, you really can see things start falling into place for people.

“There are so many preconceptions about diabetes and diet, it’s a great opportunity to dispel some myths and for people to share their experiences .

“At the end of the course, we want people to feel informed and empowered to make their own decisions.

“Education is the best way of helping people to avoid the need for medication, and that is a real success of this programme.”