Overview

This course focuses on providing skills and resources for you and your family to manage life with diabetes.

You will learn what diabetes is, the difference between type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes as well as how they are treated and why management is so important.

You will learn about recommended food choices and eating habits for those living with diabetes as well as the best types of exercise to help manage blood glucose levels. Lastly, we will discuss overall strategies for keeping well and managing your condition including sick day management, hypoglycaemia management and travel.

Syllabus

Module 1: Diabetes - What's it all about?
On completion of this module you will be able to:

explain what diabetes is
differentiate between the types of diabetes
identify the characteristics of people at risk of getting each type of diabetes
describe the treatment for each type
explain why it is important to manage diabetes and the value of blood glucose monitoring
describe the impact of diabetes on the individual, family and society.

Module 2: Food choices and eating habits
On completion of this module you will be able to:

describe the recommended guidelines for healthy eating
describe the difference between current eating habits and recommended guidelines
identify the dietary factors that affect blood glucose levels and describe dietary modifications that are recommended for people with diabetes
recommend improvements in your own eating habits
identify barriers to improving eating habits and suggest solutions to overcome them.

Module 3: Physical activity and stress management
On completion of this module you will be able to:

describe the benefits of exercise and physical activity for everyone, including those living with diabetes
examine how exercise and physical activity can impact diabetes management and affect blood glucose levels
list strategies which you can adopt to increase your physical activity
describe the effects of stress on the body and identify ways to manage it.

Module 4: Managing medications
On completion of this module you will be able to:

identify the different types of diabetes medications available to treat type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, including how they work and possible side effects
identify ways to monitor and measure the effectiveness of these medications.

Module 5: Keeping well, physically and mentally
On completion of this module you will be able to:

identify long term complications and adopt strategies needed to avoid them
explain the effect of diabetes on mental health and identify strategies to manage the impact
describe how to support children with diabetes
describe how to manage diabetes when sick or unwell
identify how alcohol and other drugs can affect diabetes
identify factors to consider when preparing for pregnancy
identify effective strategies to use when on holiday and/or travelling with diabetes.