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CurtinX: Life with Diabetes

Learn how to confidently manage your diabetes and live a healthy, happy life.

5 weeks
3–4 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
This course is archived
Future dates to be announced

About this course

Skip About this course

This course focuses on providing skills and resources for you and your family to manage life with diabetes.

You will learn what diabetes is, the difference between type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes as well as how they are treated and why management is so important.

You will learn about recommended food choices and eating habits for those living with diabetes as well as the best types of exercise to help manage blood glucose levels. Lastly, we will discuss overall strategies for keeping well and managing your condition including sick day management, hypoglycaemia management and travel.

At a glance

  • Institution: CurtinX
  • Subject: Medicine
  • Level: Introductory
  • Prerequisites:

    None

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Blood Sugar, Eating Habits, Human Nutrition, Diabetes Mellitus, Management, Gestational Diabetes

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • The different types of diabetes, who is at risk and how each type of diabetes is treated.
  • How to make good food choices and improve your eating habits.
  • The importance and benefits of physical activity to help manage diabetes and ways to reduce stress
  • Types of diabetes medications and how to manage them.
  • The importance of having your own healthcare plan and managing the challenges of daily life with diabetes.

Module 1: Diabetes - What's it all about?
On completion of this module you will be able to:

  • explain what diabetes is
  • differentiate between the types of diabetes
  • identify the characteristics of people at risk of getting each type of diabetes
  • describe the treatment for each type
  • explain why it is important to manage diabetes and the value of blood glucose monitoring
  • describe the impact of diabetes on the individual, family and society.

Module 2: Food choices and eating habits
On completion of this module you will be able to:

  • describe the recommended guidelines for healthy eating
  • describe the difference between current eating habits and recommended guidelines
  • identify the dietary factors that affect blood glucose levels and describe dietary modifications that are recommended for people with diabetes
  • recommend improvements in your own eating habits
  • identify barriers to improving eating habits and suggest solutions to overcome them.

Module 3: Physical activity and stress management
On completion of this module you will be able to:

  • describe the benefits of exercise and physical activity for everyone, including those living with diabetes
  • examine how exercise and physical activity can impact diabetes management and affect blood glucose levels
  • list strategies which you can adopt to increase your physical activity
  • describe the effects of stress on the body and identify ways to manage it.

Module 4: Managing medications
On completion of this module you will be able to:

  • identify the different types of diabetes medications available to treat type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, including how they work and possible side effects
  • identify ways to monitor and measure the effectiveness of these medications.

Module 5: Keeping well, physically and mentally
On completion of this module you will be able to:

  • identify long term complications and adopt strategies needed to avoid them
  • explain the effect of diabetes on mental health and identify strategies to manage the impact
  • describe how to support children with diabetes
  • describe how to manage diabetes when sick or unwell
  • identify how alcohol and other drugs can affect diabetes
  • identify factors to consider when preparing for pregnancy
  • identify effective strategies to use when on holiday and/or travelling with diabetes.

Learner testimonials

Skip Learner testimonials

"I enjoyed a lot the course. My son is type 1 diabetes and it was awesome to remember some details about it and improve my knowledge as well. I think everybody even with diabetes or not should join this course. It's so well explained and you have a chance to learn more about the types of diabetes; how to control, how to deal with it and how to help people."

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