If you have diabetes, it's important that you learn how to manage the condition. Short courses - such as the DESMOND programme for people with type 2 diabetes - can help.
If you have diabetes and you haven't yet attended an education programme, talk to your GP or diabetes care team as they can refer you to a local one.
There are several programmes. One is DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed), which specialises in helping people with type 2 diabetes to self-manage their condition effectively.
The DESMOND course is a six-hour programme, usually lasting one or two days. Up to 10 people with type 2 diabetes meet with two trained DESMOND healthcare professionals.
“People come to DESMOND with a lot of misunderstandings about diabetes,” says Marian Carey, national director of the programme. “Some think they’ll never be able to eat a piece of cake again. Others don’t appreciate the seriousness of the condition. They wrongly think that type 2 diabetes is a ‘mild form’ of the condition.
"We discuss the serious health problems that can result from poorly managed diabetes. And we give people the skills they need to avoid this.”
Diabetes and your lifestyle
DESMOND focuses on helping you change your lifestyle in order to manage your diabetes. This means having a good understanding of how diet and exercise affect your body.
“We talk about the amount of glucose in different foods, and explain portion sizes and food labels,” says Carey. “We don't impose a diet on people. We try to inform them so that they can make their own choices.”
At DESMOND courses you also meet other people with type 2 diabetes. It gives you the chance to talk about the feelings you might have about your diagnosis, such as anger and depression.
“DESMOND helps people see how they can manage their condition in a way that fits with the life they want to lead,” says Carey. “Our randomised trials show improvement in people stopping smoking, losing weight and keeping it off, and reducing feelings of depression.”
