Aged Care Education: Organisations Join Together For World Diabetes Day

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has released two free resources about the management and understanding of diabetes in recognition of World Diabetes Day.

The two brochures Diabetes and Palliative Care: Information for people with diabetes and Diabetes and Palliative Care: Information for family/carers are free to download through their website and are designed to help people with diabetes, families and carers.

“It is important that diabetes care is well managed during palliative care” said Dr Scott Blackwell, president of Palliative Care Australia. He said that complications due to diabetes such as high and low blood glucose levels can cause particular discomfort for people with diabetes.

The PCA recommends that people in palliative care who have diabetes have a role in deciding their future care, and should have an advanced care plan made.

There is currently one course about the management and understanding of diabetes to be nationally accredited by the ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority), which was released this year by Diabetes College.

“All the staff or carers should have a general understanding of diabetes to provide effective diabetes care for the elderly” said Ami McAllister, one of the directors of the course.

1 in 4 Australian adults (over 25) currently have diabetes and it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes by 2031 according to the PCA.