Media Releases - 11 November 2020

“More than 356,000 Victorians live with diabetes and are registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme,” says Diabetes Victoria CEO Craig Bennett. Diabetes Victoria estimates that an additional 150,000 Victorians are unaware that they have type 2 diabetes and that another 750,000 Victorians have elevated blood glucose levels, which puts them at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“Almost 80 people in Victoria develop diabetes every day. With the condition on the rise, it is likely that most people will know someone with diabetes,” continues Mr Bennett. Diabetes is a serious and complex condition that requires careful day-to-day management. This can be overwhelming, especially for those newly diagnosed.

“Nurses are highly valued members of the community and do outstanding work to support people living with a wide range of health concerns,” Mr Bennett says. “People who either live with diabetes, or are at risk of developing the condition, need their support, too.”

Diabetes Victoria recognises that:

• Nurses play an integral role for those living with diabetes, often providing emotional support as well as diabetes management guidance.
• Nurses are often the first, and sometimes only, health professional that a person interacts with upon diagnosis. Their initial assessment, care and treatment is therefore vital.

In Australia, around 1.8 million people live with diabetes and almost 300 people develop diabetes every day. Of those, the vast majority develop type 2 diabetes – which is often linked to lifestyle issues, such as a poor diet or a lack of regular physical activity.

Just as concerning, one in every four Victorians over the age of 25 is directly impacted in some way by this condition.

Shining a light on diabetes

Joining the international Blue Monument Challenge on World Diabetes Day, Diabetes Victoria is raising awareness of the impact that diabetes has on those who live with the condition, as well as their families and support networks. This year, Diabetes Victoria heads to regional Victoria and will light up part of the GMHBA Stadium at Geelong’s Kardinia Park in blue to support the worldwide effort to raise awareness about the seriousness and complexity of this condition, and to engage the global diabetes community.

Back to Basics video

In the lead up to World Diabetes Day, the fourth video in our Back to Basics series has been
launched explaining the way in which nurses make a difference for people living with diabetes.

Further videos in this series will be released next year and can be accessed here.

Podcast

As 2020 is also the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, Diabetes Victoria has invited Diabetes Nurse Educator Deb Gooley to be a special guest on our Living Well with Diabetes podcast, hosted by former AFL player: Jack Fitzpatrick. In the podcast, which will be available on 12 November, the two chat about Deb’s career and how she supports people living with, or affected by, diabetes. You can catch up on this and all other episodes here: diabetesvic.org.au/podcasts

We support, empower and campaign for all Victorians affected by, or at risk of, diabetes.

For more information:
Jane Kneebone     0416 148 845       jkneebone@diabetesvic.org.au
Sybille Taylor        0408 102 344     staylor@diabetesvic.org.au

Note to editors:

• World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on 14 November.
• The day is a significant date in the diabetes calendar – it marks the anniversary of the birth in 1891 of the man who co-discovered the medical use of insulin, Sir Frederick Banting.
• Banting was responsible for isolating insulin for this purpose for the first time in 1922 and, along with John McLeod, was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• World Diabetes Day is a leading global diabetes awareness-raising and advocacy day, officially recognised by the United Nations and led by the International Diabetes Federation.
• The International Diabetes Federation theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 is: Nurses make the difference
• We will use the hashtags: #DiabetesVic #DiabetesAwarenessMonth #WorldDiabetesDay #WDD2020 #thankyounurses
• Part of the GMHBA Stadium at Kardinia Park in Geelong will be lit up in blue on Saturday evening 14 November, as part of the International Diabetes Federation’s annual Blue Monument Challenge.
• The Blue Monument Challenge was launched in 2007 to mark the first United Nations observed World Diabetes Day. Since then, thousands of iconic sites and buildings in over 80 countries have embraced this challenge to raise awareness on World Diabetes Day.

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