across North London, borough of Enfield, Christian faith, Edmonton, local community, Patient Care Group,
Thursday, 16 June 2016
Over 80 people from Edmonton and across North London attended a two-hour briefing session on diabetes at the UCKG HelpCentre on Sterling Way, on Saturday 11 June.
The event was organised by the UCKG HelpCentre’s Patient Care Group (PCG) for Edmonton with the aim of helping members of the local community to understand this all-too-common condition.
The speakers were Nneka Agbasi Dio and Jacqueline Leon, nurse consultants specialising in diabetes, and their aim was to explain the causes of diabetes, the different types of the disease, and how to prevent diabetes and reduce sugar intake.
To illustrate the key points, the PCG set up a display of sweet drinks, water, and fruits with the quantity of sugar they contain beside them to show just how easy it is to consume too much sugar.
The majority of attendees were over 30 years old and represented the wide range of ethnicities living in the area, including Turkish, Greek, English, African and Caribbean. Most had responded to leaflets and word of mouth invitations and there were 22 people from the borough of Enfield with no links to the UCKG HelpCentre.
One of the speakers, Nneka Aybasi said: “I was really impressed with the setup and the crowd participation. It was a great mixture of questions and it was a real privilege to be able to give back to the local community.“
Audience members also responded positively. Maria Carvalho from Chingford said: “Very informative and educational. I am taking a lot from this session it will be good for the way I provide food for me and my family”. Donna Mugabi from Edmonton added: “An enjoyable event, very simple to understand and very informative”.
ENDS
Notes to editors
UCKG is a Christian church and registered charity that offers a range of practical support activities alongside spiritual support and comfort and welcomes all-comers. It reached the UK in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength, providing support and spreading the Christian faith. There are UCKG HelpCentre branches in England and Wales.
Patient Care Group is a community support group of generous minded volunteers from UCKG HelpCentres who are available to lessen the burden of illness by extending the hand of friendship to patients and their families. Group members visit patients in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes or their own homes and will also be there for the patients’ families if required.
About diabetes.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is estimated that one in 16 of the UK’s population has diabetes and 549,000 have the condition but are undiagnosed. Type 2 is the more common of the two types of diabetes, and is often associated with obesity. It usually appears in middle-aged or older people, although it isbeing diagnosed more frequently in younger overweight people, and it is known to affect people from BAME backgrounds at a younger age. This information was researched via the NHS and Diabetes UK websites.
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