National Diabetes Week is back next week, July 10 to 16, with the campaign aimed at educating Australians on the risk factors of type 2 diabetes and how it can be prevented.
Penrith business One Point Health will be holding free diabetic foot screenings as part of National Diabetes Week, and will be focusing on raising the profile of foot health and diabetes.
Marketing Manager and Podiatrist, Jeff Jenkins, said educating patients on diabetes and foot care is important.
“Patient education has been shown to have great and positive effects on the health of people with diabetes,” he told the Weekender.
“Proper education means that people can reduce their risk of problems occurring by knowing what signs to look for with studies revealing up to 85 per cent of complications related to diabetes are preventable with proper education and care.”
Every week 85 Australians lose toes, feet or their legs due to complications caused by diabetes.
“Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation in Australia with the country having the second highest rate of diabetes related amputations in the developed world,” Mr Jenkins said.
“I have met many, many people with feet affected by diabetes including amputees, and people with ongoing foot ulcerations.
“These people’s lives are changed so drastically by these experiences and yet, their outcomes may have been different if they had been provided with better education.”
The diabetic foot screening will include brief information on your foot health status, footwear advice and free information packs and giveaways.
The appointments run for about 15 minutes.
To book your free screening, contact One Point Health on 4732 5188.
