THE focus of this year’s National Diabetes Week is on a healthier future for everyone. 
Inglewood and District Health Services have brought out ‘Feltman’ to help people understand diabetes better.
Feltman is a big, soft model of the human body that diabetes educators Esther Cross and Minni Joy use to show how diabetes affects organs like the pancreas, and how insulin helps control blood sugar. 
They said: “He makes learning easier and helps people take better care of their health”. 
Feltman paid a visit to Inglewood IGA earlier this week to spread awareness of National Diabetes week.
As part of this year’s Loddon Linkages Project, a diabetes education session was held by Minni and Esther. 
Attendees said the session was “really well presented. I’ve been to diabetes education before, but Esther’s presentation using the Feltman made it much easier to understand,” one person said.
New analysis by Diabetes Australia, using updated prevalence data and the latest international evidence, highlights the true scale of the type 2 diabetes crisis. 
In response to this IDHS has set several goals to combat the crisis. They aim to help people better understand their health and available support for long-term conditions, strengthen teamwork across health services and encourage connection with regular GPs, support a whole-person approach to diabetes care and improve access to local services, so hospital visits are only needed when truly necessary.
As well as services provided by IDHS including diabetes education and exercise assistance, the Inglewood Pharmacy also provides care and support to the community. 
“Our pharmacists are experts in diabetes care. We will help you understand the reason for your medicines, how they benefit you and how you can take control of your diabetes. It’s all about better blood sugar and better long term benefits for you. Inglewood Pharmacy - diabetes experts!”
Reports from Diabetes Australia show that there are 1.3 million Australians living with type 2 diabetes and another 500,000 living with silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes” 
Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said: “Worryingly, there are another two million people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“Despite the role that genetics and family history play in diabetes, we know that up to 58 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed through lifestyle changes,” she said.
 A health check is a practical way to help Australians understand their risk and improve their health.”
“Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges facing Australia. Every 8 minutes, someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. If we don’t act now, up to 3.2 million Australians could be living with type 2 diabetes by 2050. 
“It’s not all preventable, but where it is we need to take strong action,” Ms Cain said.