1 in 10 adults now live with diabetes. We’re celebrating how far we’ve come in medicine as we’ve reached a point where diabetes is manageable for the most part. We also celebrate discoveries yet to be made that could change the way we treat the disease for the better. Experts warn that diabetes is on the rise. Today, people are being diagnosed with it at younger ages and at higher rates. Though the discoveries and advancements made through diabetes research are a testament to human innovation and bring hope for the future, there’s a long way to go and it’s worthwhile for us all to band together in an effort to raise awareness and use one of the most effective tools we have against illness – education.
Of the 1 in 10 adults with diabetes, a staggering 20% don’t even know they have it. In addition an astonishing 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes, a condition that causes high blood sugar that is not yet high enough to reach the diabetic threshold. Of those with prediabetes, 80% are completely unaware of their condition. If we manage to raise enough awareness on the lifestyle decisions that contribute to higher rates of type 2 diabetes and the symptoms that indicate a genetic predisposition to type 1, we can stop millions of lives from being cut short. Diabetes remains the seventh leading cause of death in Canada.
World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 as public health professionals grew more and more concerned about the effects of diabetes. We celebrate it on November 14th each year, which was Sir Frederik Banting’s birthday. He discovered insulin just over a hundred years ago and saved millions of lives as a result. World Diabetes Day is the largest awareness campaign for the disease across the globe and it has successfully drawn attention to pressing diabetes issues and stayed on the radars of political agencies and the public eye.
The theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day is Access to Diabetes Care. This is extremely fitting as many struggle to find the right care for their specific needs amidst healthcare shortages. Policymakers don’t seem to be putting forth much effort to find a good solution to accessibility issues. For years, advocates have been calling for the development of an action plan. A strategy for combating diabetes in Canada was developed in 1999 but that was later absorbed by a larger strategy for fighting all chronic diseases in 2005. Since then, the prevalence of diabetes has increased significantly and finally, it seems like there’s a new plan on the way. In a press conference in early October, the federal government announced a plan to improve access to diabetes care. The plan is to serve as a roadmap for provincial health systems outlining what diabetes prevention and treatment should look like in Canada.
As the vision for better access to diabetes care continues to improve, quality home care services remain a crucial part of improving the lives of diabetic Canadians. Advanced Home Care Solutions provides a wide range of community care services to meet a variety of needs, helping members of our community live life with dignity and in the comfort of their own homes.