National Diabetes Week

This week marks National Diabetes week, did you know that Diabetes is one of the 8 major chronic diseases Australians live with?  A chronic disease is acknowledged as a long lasting condition with persistent effects and social and economic consequences.

If you are living with diabetes and need help at home please visit Karista to find services in your local area.

Facts About Diabetes

• 280 People develop Diabetes every day - that's one every five minutes
• Around 1.7 million Australians have diabetes which includes all types of diagnosed diabetes and a silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes
• For every person diagnosed with diabetes there is usually a carer or family member who also lives with Diabetes

What is Diabetes?

When you have diabetes, your body can't maintain healthy levels of glucose (a form of sugar) in the blood.  For our bodies to work properly we need to convert glucose from food into energy. A hormone called insulin is essential for the conversion of glucose into energy. In people with diabetes, insulin is no longer produced in sufficient amounts. When people with diabetes eat glucose, which is in foods such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy.

Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood resulting in high blood glucose levels. After eating, the glucose is carried around your body by your blood; blood glucose level is called glycaemia. Blood glucose levels can be monitored and managed through self care and treatment.

Different Types of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition in which the immune system is activated to destroy the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin.  We don't know why this happens, Type 1 diabetes is not linked to lifestyle factors.  There is no cure and it cannot be prevented.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body becomes resistant to the normal effects of insulin and or gradually loses the capacity to produce enough insulin in the pancreas.  We do not know what causes Type 2 diabetes but do know that lifestyle, genetics and family are related risk factors.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (sometimes referred to as GDM) is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Most women will no longer have diabetes after the baby is born. 

Gestational diabetes is the fastest growing type of diabetes in Australia, affecting thousands of pregnant women. Between 12% and 14% of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes  usually occurring around the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. All pregnant women should be tested for gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy (except those women who already have diabetes). 

Source: Diabetes Australia and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Where can I get help?

If you are concerned that you or someone you care for may develop Diabetes, please see your GP for a check up.

If you're interested in reading more about the three main types of diabetes, a good place to start is Diabetes Australia website, or the Baker Institute 

Karista if you are looking for support and services in your local area.

Home Care Packages (HCP) Explained

Have you or your loved ones had trouble navigating what a Home Care Package (HCP) is? 

Freedom Aged Care has created an easy guide to help you understand how to apply, what is included and the difference between other aged care packages.

---

What is important when searching for care for a loved one?

Whether you are looking for your child who has particular needs, or for your mum who is getting older and needs assistance with things at home, it is important to balance care with cost. It is without a doubt that care is most important but very few of us can afford to splash out testing and trying different services to understand what is best. So, reviews play a big part as does the quotation process. Karista allows carers to review providers, the services available and has implemented a star rating system. As the business is new it needs support from the community to get reviews. Help out your peers, or people like you, by rating your provider. Your opinion does matter, a review by you could mean the difference for the next person who is in a similar position to you. Search and review your provider in Melbourne or Geelong at www.karista.com.au

Search and review your provider

www.karista.com.au

How to save time researching home care or disability support services.

It really is hard finding services that meet the needs of a loved one that requires assistance at home. Services for just one person can vary from personal care to nursing services as well as someone to provide transport. It can often even extend to OT or physio services. And then you need to ensure that the services are delivered to the right area, that the service provider is accredited and also provides care for your funding type which could vary across all of those services. It can be a nightmare! Karista is learning from the community what services are needed across the board. Today Karista offers a range of services, across multiple funded and non-funded options for all age groups in Melbourne and Geelong and over time will increase its service offering and location (soon to be national). Karista is a super quick and easy to use tool that uses an algorithm to collate important information from the user in order to provide extremely relevant and accurate information, you can then review each of the relevant providers and request a quote. Features are being added regularly as information comes from carers and the community. Feel free to drop us a line - we love feedback! info@karista.com.au Or request a quote - www.karista.com.au

Karista - making finding home care and disability support services easy!

Hello and welcome to Karista – the place that makes finding the care and support services that suit you, easy!

We appreciate that if you’re looking for disability supports or home care services, you probably have enough on your plate without spending hours trying to find what you’re after. And even when you have a provider, sometimes you just want to check what’s out there to make sure you’ve still got the right one for you.  That’s why we’re pulling all the service providers together on one website.

Karista provides the information, consumer reviews and technology that allows you to quickly identify the services in your area that best match your requirements. When you see something you like, request a quote with just a click. How easy is that?

Unlike some sites, at Karista, we won’t ask for a raft of personal information before you can access anything – you can jump straight in and start having a look around.

We’re in the process of uploading many more providers as we aim to be thorough. It’s a massive task so please bear with us and pop back regularly to see what we’ve added in your area. (If you’re a provider, please contact us, and we’ll make sure to get you included as soon as possible.)

And finally, we’d love your input! If you’ve used a provider, please add a review or simple let us know what you think of the site.

Happy searching – and finding!

The Karista Team

Carer Community - Your reviews count

Making decisions about somebody else’s care needs is a huge responsibility and can be a daunting task.  Choosing a provider for someone who needs help at home, we know you’ve got their bests interests at heart but how do you know you are really making the right choice of provider?  It is such an important decision and one that will never be taken lightly. 

You can be safe in the knowledge that there are many others like you and we like to think that we might be able to help.  Karista is creating a community of likeminded people who share their experiences in order to help others make informed decisions.  We want to encourage you to take the time to provide feedback about your experience with providers you have used.  We also want you to use the ratings and reviews that others have provided to guide you in making the right decisions for your loved one. Karista wants to help you make informed decisions because we know how important your role is as a carer and we know how much you care.

You can find us on our website at www.karista.com.au