Diabetes fair offers much information

From glucometers to information on feet, all aspects of diabetes and its effects were covered by about a dozen health care professionals on hand for the “Fresh Start” diabetes fair last Thursday at the Gizhewaadiziwin Access Centre on Couchiching.
With 11 displays to choose from, people with diabetes and family members appreciated having such diverse sources of information.
“It was very informative,” said Denyse DeCaire. “I’ve been diabetic for quite a few years but it always nice to find more reading on the matter, more pamphlets,”
Another woman, who was diagnosed with diabetes more than 15 years ago, agreed.
“There’s so much to learn. There are new treatments and new ideas on how to cope with [diabetes] coming out all the time,” she remarked.
“This is my first time doing something like this but it’s been very good,” noted local optometrist Dr. Bruce Lidkea, who had a table set up at the fair.
Dr. Lidkea said he talked to people about everything from the diagnosis to the treatment to the prevention of eye problems linked with diabetes. And he stressed the importance of people with diabetes visiting their optometrists.
“We, as eye doctors, can find early eye damage if a patient comes in regularly,” he remarked.
Dr. Lidkea also said people with diabetes are more prone to develop cataracts, glaucoma, and proliferative retinopathy, which results in the leakage of blood and fluid onto the retina.
He added optometrists could do more than pinpoint problems resulting from diabetes. “It’s not uncommon for us to detect diabetes in a patient from changes in their eyes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pierre Mikhail, who offered an overview of diabetes aimed at those newly-diagnosed with the disease, said he talked to people about the difference between Type I and Type II.
“A lot of people don’t know the difference, and it’s important to know the various treatments of the two,” he stressed.
Unlike Dr. Lidkea, Dr. Mikhail is no stranger to the access centre as he practises there, dealing with conditions such as diabetes, several days each month.
Other presenters included Harold Spoon and Alfred Henderson, who offered advice on traditional treatments and healing methods, and chiropodist Dr. Dave Smith and RN Jane Elliott, who talked about advanced foot care.
Nurse practitioner Danette MacDonald stressed the importance of annual check-ups, while RN Donna Hayes and RN Barb Kircher warned of the dangers of smoking, blood disease, and pulmonary vascular disease people with diabetes face.
Nutritionist Janet Drennan showed people how to eat balanced diets while local pharmacist Kim Metke explained what medications were suitable for those with diabetes.
Medical translator Clint Geyshick and RN Kate Brant stressed the importance of exercise, and Casey Vary, national co-ordinator for Auto Control medical supplies, demonstrated the latest in blood testing and insulin-injecting equipment for personal use.
Cathy Bruyere, executive director of the Fort Frances Area Tribal Health Authority and director of the access centre, said based on the success of last Thursday’s fair, a similar one definitely would take place down the road, perhaps in January or February.
“In terms of getting basic information out to the public, it went well,” she noted. “It also gave us feedback as to what we could do different in the future.
“One thing is we may need more space,” Bruyere remarked.
Diabetes (both Type I and Type II) affects 26 percent of the Tribal Area #10 population over the age of 15.