For this year’s National Diabetes Week, running from July 12-18, Diabetes Australia experts are encouraging the community to speak openly, without apology, about the realities of living with the condition.
As part of the campaign, people with lived experience, carers and health professionals were invited to complete the sentence: “I wish people knew..."
For the team at Echuca Regional Health, the answers highlight both the complexity of the disease and the importance of understanding that every individual’s journey is different.
“Nobody knows diabetes better than somebody who has diabetes,” ERH registered nurse and credentialed diabetes educator Renee Salihovic said.
Addressing common misunderstandings about diabetes, Mrs Salihovic said the condition is so much more complex than just what a person eats.
“It comes down to a variety of lifestyle and medication factors because diabetes is a progressive condition.
“It’s not always managed strictly on what you’re putting into your body.
“I guess, just accepting that diabetes is quite prevalent, looking at society and just being aware that it’s not a condition that you can just put aside.
‘’It sort of stays with that person day after day, and they have to each day, deal with that.”
ERH manager of dietetics and diabetes education Penny Laughlin said she wishes people knew that everyone's diabetes journey is different.
The ERH team services the hospital and the broader community, managing type one (an autoimmune condition), type two (a progressive condition influenced by genetics, age, or BMI), and gestational diabetes.
To support the community, ERH runs a primary outpatient diabetes education service, along with a specialised gestational diabetes group that meets fortnightly.
“The purpose is to capture people who've been just recently diagnosed to provide them with the knowledge to self-manage," Mrs Salihovic said.
“We follow them through their pregnancy weekly, liaise with their health professionals, so their GPs, their obstetricians, to facilitate the best outcomes that we can.”
Beyond outpatient services and ward visits, a specialised diabetes nurse practitioner is available on-site at ERH three days a week, helping with medication adjustments and writing pathology scripts.
“They're able to support the patients holistically with their diabetes management without them having to go back to their GP,” Ms Laughlin said.
This National Diabetes Week is a meaningful opportunity for the whole community — to better understand what life with diabetes really looks like, and to ensure that every person living with it feels seen, heard and supported.
“Everybody’s diabetes is different, but we’re all very individual,” Mrs Salihovic said.
For more information on local diabetes services, groups or support, phone Echuca Regional Health Diabetes Education on 5485 5801.
For additional information and resources, visit the Diabetes Australia website at https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/ or the National Diabetes Services Scheme at https://www.ndss.com.au/
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