Diabetes UK Colchester and East Essex Voluntary Group

Diabetes? We can help

X-PERT programme
Improve your lifestyle and manage your diabetes better

 

The X-PERT Programme is a six-week diabetes education programme. You will learn all about the up-to-date treatments and management of diabetes and will have the opportunity to explore and address problems/issues you may have with your diabetes.

The programme has been shown to improve diabetes control, reduce diabetes tablets/insulin, increase self management skills, improve lifestyle and quality of life.

 

The six week sessions last for two and a half hours each and are an enjoyable and fun way to understand your diabetes. A brief overview of each session is listed below:

1. What is diabetes, self-monitoring of diabetes and treatment: exploring feelings and dispelling myths by using visual educational materials developed for the programme.

2. Weight management: The balance of good health with food models to inform about sensible eating whilst exploring barriers in doing so. A video/DVD, which clearly shows in an educated but humorous way that crash diets, don't work. The benefits of exercise and practical examples including information about local exercise-on-prescription schemes

3. Carbohydrate awareness: a group task developed to show the effect of carbohydrate food (quantity & quality) on blood glucose levels using ping-pong ball models and laminated food pictures to dispel the myths surrounding glucose, sucrose and starch.

4. Supermarket tour: addressing some common confusion surrounding dietary fat, sugar and food labels. Encouraging a diet that is enjoyable, variable and balanced whilst dispelling the concept of good and bad foods.

5. The long-term complications of diabetes. How to reduce the risk through lifestyle, treatment and regular monitoring. Use of educational aids to explain certain conditions (nephropathy, retinopathy, arteriosclerosis, blood pressure etc.) in a visual rather than verbal manner.

6. Are you an X-PERT: a board game designed to reinforce the main messages from the X-PERT Programme, drawing to an end the structured education programme in a relaxed and fun manner whilst allowing the participants to re-cap and appreciate how much they have learnt.

Full details about local sessions can be obtained from:

Diabetes Secretary
North East Essex Primary Care Trust
Telephone 01255 201536

Visit the X-Pert website for more information at http://www.xperthealth.org.uk/