Diabetes can be a very stressful condition to manage, especially for a person with special needs. Since the launch of the NDIS in Australia, it has taken this as a role to support such people with the condition. Through this blog, the services and features of NDIS that will contribute to and help special needs under “diagnosed diabetes” shall be presented.
Knowing More About NDIS
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a government-funded program specifically made to benefit the disabled people of Australia. NDIS helps people to attain their goals and afterward helps them become much more independent to achieve better quality of life.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a long-term health condition where your body cannot control the amount of sugar in your blood properly. This happens because your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes effectively. The two major classifications of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2.
You can most clearly identify Type 1 diabetes among children. The immune system attacks and destroys the pancreatic cells that usually produce insulin, describing Type 1 diabetes. At the same time, in most adults, Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s failure to properly or efficiently use insulin.
Diabetes management means constantly checking sugar levels, following a proper diet, engaging in physical fitness, and taking medication or insulin shots whenever the situation calls for it. All the levels complicate the support needed for people living with special needs.
NDIS for People with Diabetes
The NDIS involves a variety of services and characteristics to assist an individual diagnosed with diabetes and living with a disability. These are tailor-made to meet the individual’s needs, and they may comprise some or all of the following:
1. Personal Care Support
This support will cater to the personal care requirements that an individual may need daily but may be difficult to undertake due to the diabetes. Examples include
- Blood glucose: The support workers, as funded by NDIS, can monitor the glucose within the blood, provide an interpretation of these results, and enable participants to control their conditions more effectively.
- Insulin administration: When diabetes turns to be too severe, there is a group of patients who might need insulin administration into their bodies. Support workers may offer their help mixing and giving out insulin to such patients. .
- Meal preparation: A person with diabetes would be stuck with eating a healthy diet, which will play a paramount role in controlling the condition. Support workers can facilitate meal planning and preparation of a balanced, healthy diet that conforms to the person’s dietary requirements.
- Physical activity and exercise: The support workers may assist in enabling all the participants to become involved in physical activities of any kind as per their preferences and capabilities so that these people get opportunities to remain healthy and active while needing support of any kind
2. Training And Support
Training and education are a significant component of the people with diabetes. NDIS funds programs that train people and their carers on diabetes. They can be from programs such as:
- Diabetes Self-management: Learning to live with diabetes independently is very empowering. Training sessions can be essential for an individual to know how to keep the blood sugar on track, the insulin injections one administers to oneself, and the symptoms or signs related to high or low blood sugar levels.
- Nutritional education: Relating blood sugar levels to food intake is quintessential. This combination will, therefore, allow the client to keep their sugar and overall health at the same sound level
- .Preparing caregivers: Family members and caregivers should also be educated about diabetes care to care for their members. This may include training on blood sugar monitoring and taking the necessary insulin, and knowing the signs to look out for in case of an emergency.
3. Health and Well-being Support
Managing diabetes covers the overall health and well-being monitoring of a person. NDIS supports this by:
- Medical Appointments: It is probably one of the direst needs in life when one is diabetic—to go for regular medical appointments in the management of the same. NDIS-paid support workers can help in getting to and from appointments not to miss some critical check-up.
- Psychological support: The psychosocial implications of living with diabetes are well noted, and psychological support is essential in helping to deal with it. The NDIS funds psychological services to help them cope with the emotional response to the management of a chronic condition.
- Exercise programs: Physiotherapists tailor exercise programs to help individuals remain as active as possible and manage their diabetes.
4. Assistive Technology
Diabetes management is greatly improved by the use of devices. Most of these are funded by NDIS, which includes devices/equipment such as : continuous glucose monitors that give a better knowledge of one’s blood sugar reading in real-time and, for the most part, an insulin pump that provides the body with a continuous supply of insulin. This eases the grit of managing blood sugar. They can be set to give specific amounts of insulin at specific times all day.
- Medical Alert Systems: They will alert caregivers or emergency service if an individual falls into a diabetes-related emergency such as severe hypoglycemia, the medical term for low sugar.
How to Access NDIS Services
To find out how you can get involved, read our instruction here.
The NDIS package includes a combination of services and features designed to help the diagnosed diabetic with special needs. This service aims to enhance the quality of life. Moreover, the independence such persons will enjoy in terms of personal care, education, and health support is also optimised. This empowers people with diabetes to take up the support available in the NDIS for better management of their health conditions. And through this, they can somehow live their lives not in the most healthy way but at least to the fullest.
Consider exploring NDIS if your family member has special needs and, at the same time, diabetes.. With the best support being given, living the best life with diabetes can be very easy.