The Diabetes Care Factor is here!
Face-to-face, virtual consults and phone consults available!A lived experience of Type 1 Diabetes for over 25 years A vision to educate, empower & support! Specialising in Diabetes Technology, Type 1 Diabetes, Pregnancy & Diabetes
Find your happy, healthy balance!
Your emotional & physical health are equally important! Balancing idealistic goals with realistic goals set by YOU! Diabetes management is SO much more than your numbers!
SPECIALISING IN DIABETES CARE
Type 1 Diabetes, Diabetes & Pregnancy, Diabetes TechnologiesInsulin Initiation & Adjustment, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Insulin Pump Therapy, Continuous Glucose Monitoring, Exercise & more
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Specialist Diabetes Care
Am I someone who can support you? To help you decide, here's a bit about me and my passion for diabetes. I am a Registered Nurse and Credentialled Diabetes Educator who has lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 25 years. I previously worked as an Exercise Physiologist before venturing further into nursing. I now specialise in Type 1 Diabetes, including children and adults.
I also specialise in diabetes and pregnancy, including Gestational Diabetes (GDM). Having been through two pregnancies (including IVF) with diabetes, I feel this is my calling to support other women on their pregnancy journey. It can be a very emotional time where the utmost care is needed. A lack of empathy and understanding can have devastating impact on emotional health. This I have learnt the hard way. We should be able to enjoy pregnancy, with or without diabetes. I want to help women avoid the guilt and negative feelings diabetes can raise. For women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I would love to help both during pregnancy, and also reduce risks of Type 2 later in life.
My passion to help those living with Type 1 Diabetes is as strong as ever. Having lived through those challenging teenage years, puberty and young adulthood, through to motherhood and being a keen sportsperson helps me relate to others. Having worked with children for most of my career, I absolutely love building relationships with families to help them on their journey.
The size of health problems in Australia
Chronic conditions are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provides statistics about chronic conditions with the most 8 common being: diabetes, arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and mental health conditions.
Did you know:
- 1 in 2 Australians (50%) have at least 1 chronic condition
- 3 in 5 Australians (60%) aged over 65 years have more than 1
- around 9 in every 10 deaths are associated with them
- The Australian Government reports that about one third of chronic disease is preventable.
- The good news here is that we can do something about the risks and save lives. Risks such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, amputation, and kidney failure.
My passion
Hello....and thank you for taking the time to come here and read more about how I might be able to help you on your health journey. I live inland of Brisbane & the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. I am a Registered Nurse & Credentialled Diabetes Educator with a background in Exercise Physiology. I bring a genuine care factor after having lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 25 years. I truly understand the burden of living with a chronic condition on a daily basis. I have extensive experience with children and adolescents living with Type 1. I am a keen sportsperson and want to help people living with diabetes be as active as they can, without constant worry about their glucose levels. I have a passion to help athletes maximise their performance without diabetes getting in the way.
With a desire to really make a difference, I specialise in Type 1 Diabetes, Diabetes and Pregnancy (including Gestational Diabetes), and diabetes technology. My goal is to help you feel more confident managing diabetes through education, support, and empowerment. My personal experiences help me understand the importance of support, to avoid judgement or blame, and the hurt that can come when you feel misunderstood or unsupported. I can help you achieve YOUR goals and hopefully help find YOUR happy, healthy balance to enjoy life, while managing diabetes and improving your health. I will listen to you and put you at the centre of your health goals (this is where my Real-I-Deal Health logo comes in - the 'I' is you and your goals. Finding the balance between realistic and idealistic health goals).
I would also love to help anyone who wants to reduce their risks of diabetes in the future. Pre-diabetes affects nearly 1 in 6 Australian adults (more than 2 million individuals) over the age of 25 years. It is a metabolic condition characterised by elevated blood glucose levels, but not meeting the diagnostic criteria for diabetes. Making changes during this stage could prevent or delay the diagnosis of diabetes. Without any action, approximately 1 in 3 will develop Type 2 Diabetes within ten years. In addition, people with pre-diabetes are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This is such an important time to work on your health!
Diabetes In Australia
All types of diabetes are increasing in prevalence:
Type 1 Diabetes is increasing (currently about 10% of cases) Type 2 Diabetes is increasing (currently about 85% of cases) Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in pregnancy is increasing.
Type 2 Diabetes is increasing at the fastest rate. There are large numbers of people with silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes which may be damaging their bodies. An estimated 2 million Australians are at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and are already showing early signs of the condition.
Type 2 Diabetes is one of the major consequences of the obesity epidemic. Many factors contribute to this including massive changes to our diet and food supply, combined with reduced levels of physical activity with more sitting at work and at home. Sadly, most populations are seeing more Type 2 Diabetes.
Vision Statement
Real-I-Deal Health Diabetes Care has a vision to educate, empower and support you on your diabetes journey. It is not about all about the numbers!
Values
Real-I-Deal Health operates under the following values:Empathy, Genuine Care, Honesty, Passion, Commitment, Transparency
World Health Organisation key facts
- Obesity has almost tripled since 1975
- 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2016, 650 million of these adults were considered obese
- Over 340 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2016
- 41 million of these children were aged 5 or under
How I can help
- Develop knowledge, skills, and confidence for the everyday management of diabetes
- Understand technology available to help manage diabetes (including insulin pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitoring)
- Trials of diabetes technology (CGM) when available
- Reduce your risk of developing diabetes
- Promote life-long education relating to your diabetes & health
- Promote self-management
- Provide support for change
- Provide guidance towards health resources
- Help create connections with other healthcare professionals
- Help set realistic goals and put them into action
- Provide a non-judgemental approach
- Provide empathy & understanding
- Provide genuine care