(An event was held by the Huron Perth Diabetes Education Program exclusively for people living with Type 1 diabetes on Oct. 28. Pictured are the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital Diabetes Education Team, from left, Jennifer Jenkins, Yvonne MacRae, Patricia Boynton, Dr. Nicola McLean and Rick Bedard. Contributed photo)
Living Well With Type 1 Diabetes
Living with Type 1 diabetes can be an isolating experience for some. Staff with the Huron Perth Diabetes Education Program of the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital hosted an evet exclusively for people living with Type 1 diabetes.
The theme for the evening, held at the Beach Street Station restaurant on Oct. 28, was to “Celebrate living a healthy and happy life on your terms.” The night was organized to help kick-off a support group for people living with Type 1 diabetes and their loved ones.
Seventy guests were served a three-course diabetes friendly meal, which included a carbohydrate counted menu set by Yvonne MacRae, Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetic Educator with the Diabetes Education Program.
In her presentation, Endocrinologist Dr. Nicola McLean discussed the powerful effects of Diabetes Burnout”, not only what it means to the clinicians but what it means for those living with Type 1 diabetes and the people who support them. People with diabetes can live a long, active, healthy and satisfying life. Effective control translates into a decreased risk of serious complications. We need to find what motivates us to make lifestyle changes. The AMGH will be starting insulin pump therapy in Diabetes Education Centre under the direction of Dr. McLean.
Living well with diabetes and the importance of setting goals were the focus of our key note speaker Shawn Shepheard’s presentation. Shepheard is an author and motivational speak living with Type 1 diabetes. Shawn discussed the importance of realizing why we want to make healthy lifestyle changes, what changes we want to make and to set a date to start making these changes.
For one guest the event was “life-changing”. Another wrote, “It was so nice to know we are not alone,” in surveys handed out at the end of the evening while many attendees expressed how important the opportunity to meet other people in the community with Type 1 diabetes was to them.
Patti Boynton Registered Nurse, Certified Diabetes Educator at AMGH has been fundraising and planning for this event for the last three and a half years. Funding came from pharmaceutical companies.
Overall, this event was a night of motivation, inspiration and great food.
For more information about the program or future events please call the Alexandra Marine & General Hospital Diabetes Education Program at 519-524-8323 ext. 5612.
Source: The Goderich Signal Star
