ABOUT 290 Australians are diagnosed with diabetes every day – many of them too late.
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Albury-Wodonga Diabetes Support Group said the importance of early detection remained a key theme of National Diabetes Week, which continues until Saturday.
“Type 2 diabetes is a silent disease,” spokeswoman Liz Hare said. “You can have it up to seven years without knowing it and by then the long-term damage to the body might already be done and that’s sad.”
The group set up an information stall at Albury Library Museum on Tuesday, with further sessions planned at the Lavington and Wodonga libraries on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Libraries are a good place because libraries are a living organism these days and you get a lot of passing trade,” Ms Hare said.
“I feel like we’ve been very helpful. Even if we only help a few people, like today we’ve had someone who’s new to the area, someone who’s really struggling.
“Really it’s worthwhile.”
Less than 100 years ago, half of the people who developed type 1 diabetes died within two years while more than 90 per cent were dead within five years.
The introduction of insulin therapy in the 1920s and numerous advances since then has greatly improved the long-term survival of those with type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes Victoria has launched a new digital awareness campaign at invisiblecondition.org.au highlighting the nature of diabetes.
Ms Hare said people visiting the support group’s stall could fill out risk assessments, which could alert them to their risk level and whether they should talk to their doctor about it.
“We’re there to support people’s self-management,” she said.
Ms Hare said a change to afternoon meetings had proven quite popular and a major public forum was planned for November close to World Diabetes Day.
“We had an amazing turn-out last year and we’re hoping for the same this year to bring people up with the latest,” she said.
