I thought that once I landed on the other side of the world I’d be instantly ready to tackle the issue of community outreach in the type 1 diabetic population in Western Australia. Turns out I was a bit off. The first challenge I had to overcome was my jet lag. My circadian rhythm decided to stop rhythming. I’m so glad I gave myself a few days to settle, no one knows what would’ve happened if that exhausted shell of a man stepped into the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre. Luckily I recovered after a few nights of sleep and showed up to the Family Centre at the start of June with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
The Family Centre is unique in its blend of the clinical and personal aspects of care for people living with Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is a debilitating autoimmune disease that results in the pancreas not producing insulin which the body needs to uptake glucose from food. It is a challenging condition to manage with over 180 extra important decisions having to be made a day. The Family Centre acts as a support to people living with type one and also to parents of children who have been diagnosed. The centre is hindered in its reach due to its location in northern Perth, with people having to travel large distances to avail of its services.
As part of my LiA, I created and started the implementation of a chapter-based outreach program across WA and Australia as a whole, which will increase the range of impact the Family Centre can have in the lives of people living with type 1. Chapters are smaller, more geographically-restricted groups within an overall community. Family Centre chapters will be run semi-independently of the Family Centre with three volunteer Community Leaders taking charge of each. The chapters will organise local coffee meet-ups and other social events to foster a sense of community and create a support network outside of the healthcare system for those dealing with type 1. On top of this, I researched methods of improving the utilisation of the Family Centre among 18-26 year olds which has been identified as a demographic that doesn’t make use of the centre’s services.
I divided up my overall goal of chapter creation into a few sections. These included market research into the services currently available for people with type 1, an investigation into the individuals who could act as community leaders, the creation of a step-by-step plan of action/operational manual for the family centre, the making of a supporting document for community leaders, the setting up of a new discord server and the organisation of community events. All of this work culminated in a meeting with prominent community members and staff members of the Family Centre where I presented my work and gathered feedback. This meeting also acted as a recruitment drive and a way for the Family Centre to find community members who are passionate enough to take on the role of leading their chapter programme.
I settled into life in the Family Centre and Perth relatively well and without many hiccups. This was mainly due to the friendly and passionate staff in the Family Centre who took me in instantly and made me feel like one of their own. Although the distance and time difference between here and home was challenging and isolating at times, it gave me a sense of independence and confidence to trust my own judgement. It wasn’t as easy to fall back on my normal safety nets and support networks as when I’m at home. Six weeks is a lot shorter than people actually think and they absolutely flew by, but I gained so much from this experience. It wasn’t all smooth sailing but overall it was a great opportunity where I learned crucial skills that will help me in the years to come.