X-PERT is an award winning and free course for anyone with Type 2 diabetes, whether you have a medical card or not.
It is led by HSE Community Dietitians and runs once a week for six weeks with each session lasting two and a half hours.
Castleisland on Course
It is being run in local community venues throughout Kerry including: Killarney, Tralee, Castleisland, Listowel, Kenmare, Dingle and Caherciveen.
Living with Diabetes
Mike, 50 from Tralee was diagnosed with diabetes in September 2015. His GP referred him to his local X-PERT diabetes programme.
“I was very impressed with the programme. It was very informative and it explained all aspects of living with diabetes including its causes and how to manage it best”, he explained.
X-PERT is an award winning FREE course for anyone with type 2 diabetes, whether you have a medical card or not.
Healthy Eating
X-PERT provides information on healthy eating and healthy living to manage diabetes. It also covers other topics such as what is happening in the body with diabetes, the complications that can occur and how to prevent them. It encourages the person with diabetes to set their own personal goals to make positive changes to their lifestyle.
Sensible Food Choices
“It was particularly informative in relation to what’s in the food we eat and what nutrients we need. It really helped me make sensible food choices to manage my diabetes and to take control of it”, reported Mike.
X-PERT takes place in groups of approx. 12 – 20 individuals. The group aspect is a very important part of X-PERT with people in the same boat learning from each other. People are also welcome to bring a family member or friend along for extra support.
Meet and Talk
“It was also a help to meet and talk with others with diabetes”, Mike explained.
Another aspect of the X-PERT programme that really appealed to Mike is the annual follow up sessions. Regular follow up is essential for people with type 2 diabetes as it is a progressive condition. It gives the attendees an opportunity to re-connect with their dietitian and to get an update on the latest nutrition information to manage their diabetes.
Annual Refresher Courses
“One of the best things about the programme is the annual refresher courses and the opportunity to discuss any issues with the dietitian. I highly recommend the ‘Xpert Programme’. It has certainly helped me control my diabetes”. Mike.
X-PERT has been running in Cork and Kerry since 2008 and since then over 4,000 people with type 2 diabetes have attended the course. People with diabetes spend one to two hours per year with a health care professional. X-PERT gives people 15 hours of contact with a health care professional.
Manage Their Diabetes
It provides the person with the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to manage their diabetes themselves for the rest of the time.
In 2017 a major step forward in diabetes care in Cork and Kerry was the recruitment of two community dietitians to work specifically in the area of type 2 diabetes. Dietitians have a key role in supporting people to manage their diabetes. As well as education on diabetes and diet, they have the skills to support a person around making long term changes to their lifestle.
Throughout Kerry
X-PERT is being run in local community venues throughout Kerry including: Killarney, Tralee, Castleisland, Listowel, Kenmare, Dingle and Caherciveen.
If you are interested in attending an X-PERT programme in your local area please contact (064) 667 0763 for further information or visit www.hse.ie/xpert
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on… Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com
Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
Please Note: A click on any of our adverts will reveal all you need to know about what our advertisers need to tell you.
Copyright Notice: The images and text which appear on The Maine Valley Post site remain the exclusive property of John Reidy, (unless stated otherwise) and are protected under International Copyright laws. Images or text may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of the author, John Reidy, in this instance. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted © by John Reidy 2018.
