Bendigo Community Health Services is home to more than 50 services and 250 staff. Take a journey through our organisation to learn more about our services and programs by meeting some of our wonderful staff through our blog Discovering BCHS…

THEY call it the “light bulb moment” – the point at which someone diagnosed with diabetes realises they can get their symptoms under control and largely self-manage their illness.

For those living with the chronic condition, these moments are life-changing; for the Bendigo Community Health Services diabetes education team, they make going to work worthwhile.

“I have one client, a young person with a lot of psycho-social issues, who needed to start on insulin because their diabetes was very poorly controlled,” explains Jan Moore, one of three credentialled diabetes educators who work at BCHS in Eaglehawk.

“It has been a big challenge and taken a long time, but I have seen that little light bulb go off and this person has now managed to achieve excellent control of their diabetes and they are now engaging in work and engaging with other people socially.

“I am most proud of moments like that, because of all the hard work that person has put in to get to where they are now.”

Jan’s colleagues – Leanne Rankin and Cara Jamieson – agree.

“All of us can think of at least one person like that who has made our job worthwhile, because we see their success as our success,” says Leanne.

The three women form a specialist team within BCHS that provides diabetes education and support five days a week in Eaglehawk, as well as outreach services at Strathfieldsaye, Elmore and the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative.

Research shows that people with well-controlled diabetes from diagnosis can drastically reduce their long-term risk of complications including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, ulcers, amputations, blindness, impotence, gastric problems and related mental health issues.

“Poorly controlled diabetes damages nerves and blood circulation to those areas,” says Jan.

The diabetes team works together with clients to help them self-manage their condition – and one of their biggest challenges is having them realise why this is so important.

“With chronic conditions, most of what needs to be done, has to be done by the person living with it,” says Jan. “Our role is to work with people to discover what works well for them.

“They can sit down with us and learn what diabetes means for them, how it’s going to impact on their lifestyle and what they can do to manage their own condition.”

This involves developing strategies for taking medication, explaining how the medication works, how to use insulin pens and glucometers, encouraging healthy eating and exercise, and linking clients with other professions like podiatrists and optometrists.

“One challenge is helping disadvantaged clients access fresh, nutritious food - helping them understand why they need it and overcoming a perception it costs a lot of money,” says Cara.

Social isolation and transport, mobility or safety issues can also hinder exercise, so the diabetes educators assist clients to overcome these barriers and find activities they enjoy.

The team says patients are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at a much younger age due to changing lifestyle factors.

And the longer they have the disease, the more serious risks they potentially face.

“I have been working with diabetes since 1996 and back then I rarely saw someone aged under 60,” says Jan, “but now many of our clients are in that category.”

Adopting a healthy diet, exercising and managing weight and stress levels can all lower the risk of diabetes, and BCHS also offers a Life! program to start people off on the right track.

Jan, Cara and Leanne are all qualified nurses who have completed specialist graduate training and are members of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association.

Clients can be referred to the diabetes education program through GPs or can call the BCHS complex in Eaglehawk to request an appointment, which attracts a small fee.

Each patient is triaged according to their needs and the most urgent cases are usually seen within a week.

Jan says a major aspect of the team’s job is advocacy – guiding diabetics past the shock of diagnosis and steering them towards the myriad services that can make their lives easier.

“The services can be quite accessible, but people often don’t know they are there.”

Jan has been a nurse since 1977, working in community health for more than two decades.

“I was a real jack of all trades to start with, but when I moved to Bendigo and started working at BCHS in 2001 just in diabetes and respiration, I was able to consolidate my knowledge in just those two areas and that felt really good,” she says of her more specialised role.

Her passion outside of the clinic is miniature horses – she drives them in harness both for fun and for show and enjoys the challenge of getting them working well.

Leanne has been a diabetes educator for 10 years, working in Rochester before moving to BCHS less than two years ago. She also has extensive experience in district nursing.

“I have always been a sole operator, so it’s nice to be part of a bigger team here with a bigger network around you,” she says. “One of our strengths is that we are three very different people with different approaches, but we work really well together.”

When she’s not at work, Leanne enjoys craft work and hand-makes goods including greeting cards and tea cosies. Some of her tea cosies are sold in stores under the Knit to Milloo label – a nod to the family farm between Lockington and Dingee where spent much of her adult life.

Cara is a Bendigo mum of three who enjoys gardening, renovating, cooking and reading.

She worked in women’s health, emergency nursing and hospital discharge planning before developing an interest in diabetes education and joining BCHS in 2009.

“I find it so rewarding when you’ve been working with a client for months and that light bulb moment happens and they come back weeks later having made massive changes that have had a positive impact on their lives,” she says.

Her closing message echoes the National Diabetes Week campaign slogan.

“We are here to help you, in any way we can.”