Bravo, JDRF Australia!

THANK YOU for showing us the facts on paper. 🙂  Your team conducted a broad scale survey about what it’s REALLY like to live with Type 1 Diabetes, and you came up with some staggering results. 

Considering that Australia is the most obese nation in the world, and there has been millions of dollars poured into advertising for weight loss,( with the fearful threat intertwined of becoming a “hearty” candidate for type 2 Diabetes), it appears that all of the amazing advocacy work that we thought was leading us to finally establishing an identity of out own has lead us back to sqare one.

JDRF said that from the 2300 respondents (which was aimed at all age groups-adults with type 1 diabetes, parents with a child/children with type 1 diabetes and other people with a personal connection to type 1 diabetes-family, friends, co-workers, sent a very strong message that the current focus on obesity in discussions of diabetes had created a “blame culture”, which in turn causes misery and depair for families living with Type 1 Diabetes, as reported in “Update“-The Official Newsletter of JDRF Australia.

THE FINDINGS.

ADULTS living with Type 1 Diabetes reported a common complication that accompanied their condition-depression and anxiety, with 25% reporting a clinical diagnosis during their time living with diabetes.

Even more concerning were results indicating that this debilitating condition was not being managed as well as possible by health care professionals, with only 7% of respondents declaring that they had been referred for psychological support.

Heartbreakingly, depression or anxiety was ALSO the most commonly reported complication for children with type 1 diabetes, with a staggering 1 in 10 declaring this dreaded complication.

(Reassuringly, all of the candidates had been referred to a psychologist or other specialty care.)

THE HEALTH SYSTEM.

Agasp… MORE than 50% of adults and 40% of parents reported that they had experienced a Health Care Professional demonstrating a blatant lack of knowledge about type 1 diabetes.

(I shuddered as I read this statement in particular, recalling a registrar in hospital, neglecting to read the nurses’ notes, and almost overdosing Lance with a double dose of Novorapid. 30 minutes later, I discharged Lance from the hospital, fully aware of the risk I was taking-however, as his fulltime carer, I felt he was at more risk in that ward than he was in his own cosy nest at home. Hate to say, ‘I TOLD YOU SO”, but in this instance, I was right. Also, how could I POSSIBLY forget the after hours doctor who told me to “break Lance’s “tablets” into halves, and only give him a half dose while he was unwell, despite having “TYPE 1 DIABETIC” emblazoned in red on his file!!!!!! Not to mention, I alerted the doctor,by stating;”I AM PRESENTING MY SON WITH IDDM TO YOU FOR A SECOND OPINION REGARDING HIS INSULIN DOSES….!!!!!!”)

30% of adults also reported that diabetes was not the first diagnosis when they became ill.

Almost 20% of adults did not consider their diabetes to be well managed, however, around half of repondents reported no complications, and no emergency room visits since diagnosis.

FAMILY, FRIENDS AND PUBLIC.

Almost 30% reported feeling extremely worried about having a hypo at work or school.

The good news was that just over half of the respondents felt confident that their fellow workers or school friends could assist in an emergency.

THE DEVASTATION.

Nearly HALF of all parents reported being made to feel that their child’s type 1 diabetes was their fault, due to the constant confusion between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. EVERY PARENT  HAD AN ENCOUNTER RELATING TO AN INSENSITIVE, IGNORANT OR DELIBERATELY CRUEL REMARK ABOUT DIABETES, causing heartbreak to them or their child.

Source:

JDRF Update newsletter, Winter edition, 2008.