Tamworth local and diabetic, Cherrie Jones, is encouraging seniors to get themselves tested following Australia’s National Diabetes Week.
As the number of Australians suffering from diabetes continues to grow, with approximately one person diagnosed every five minutes[1], National Diabetes Week aims to raise community awareness and highlight the importance of identifying the symptoms of diabetes.
According to the latest ABS data, the rate of diabetes increased with age from 10.3 per cent for people aged 55-64 years to 14.9 per cent for people aged 65-74 years, with almost one in five (19.2 per cent) people over 75 years having diabetes[2].
Ingenia Gardens Tamworth Community Manager Mrs Jones was first diagnosed earlier this year after experiencing blurred vision, fatigue and thirstiness.
I was very thirsty and noticed my glasses were no longer working. I ended up speaking with someone at the chemist and they suspected diabetes, so we did a blood reading test
Cherrie Jones
“My readings were quite high, so I was lucky we caught it when we did. I visited the GP following this and he told me I was type 2 diabetic.
“When I received the diagnosis, I was quite shocked. My father was type 1 diabetic, so I was very scared and anxious to find out I was also diabetic.
“Thankfully, I have been able to control my condition without medication by following a healthy diet management plan and the diabetes doesn’t have an impact on my day-to-day life,” she said.
Mrs Jones is now pushing for Ingenia Gardens residents and seniors alike to educate themselves on the condition and seek medical help for a diagnosis if they have suspicions.
I think seniors need to be better educated on the topic of diabetes as I see many resist seeking medical treatment because they’re ‘too old’ and think it won’t matter at their age
Cherrie Jones
[1] Diabetes in Australia (diabetessa.com.au)
[2] Diabetes, 2020-21 financial year | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
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