Karen started work at the Glen Forrest Medical Centre in June 2007.
This is a little bit about her and what she does:
My name is Karen and I am a Registered nurse.
I work in the treatment room 2 days a week and for the other 1, I put on my Diabetes Educator hat. This means that I have done further studies in Diabetes care and management that allows me to best help those people diagnosed with Diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease of life style, this means that if you have a family history of diabetes if you follow the same eating patterns and exercise patterns that you have a higher chance of going on to developing diabetes.
If you are overweight and lead a sedentary life again your risk increases.
My role is to see people diagnosed with diabetes on a 6 monthly cycle in conjunction with the doctor. During these visits I will discuss diet and exercise habits, these 2 aspects are the corner stones of diabetes care, get these right and the diabetes will be well controlled.
A foot check is also undertaken at this time as feet can become quickly affected if the diabetes control is not with in optimal range, which may result in a person developing neuropathy and/or needing an amputation. A diagnosis of diabetes gives that person a 50% higher chance of having an amputation than a person who has not been diagnosed with diabetes.
I also see people who have been diagnosed with pre diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. For people diagnosed with this it is important for them to get their life style i.e. diet and exercise regimes into a healthy mode which if achieved gives them a 58% chance of not developing diabetes.
As diabetes rates are increasing throughout the population we should all be taking care of our diet and exercise regimes as no one wants to develop diabetes with its potential complications which can impact greatly upon our lives.
11/07/2017
10 Years of Service – Karen
On the 11th of June 2017 our nurse Karen will celebrate 10 years service at the Glen Forrest Medical Centre.
To mark the occasion we asked her a few questions:
How long have you been a nurse?
I have been a nurse since 1984 and a midwife since 1988
Why did you become a nurse?
I have no real idea, It was an option at the time.
When I was looking for a job/career there wasn’t the options available that there are today.
There was still jobs for the boys and jobs for the girls.
Nursing was offered because I was a girl and I took the option and it was the best choice I ever made.
Which aspect of your job do you enjoy the most?
Patient contact.
We are lucky here that we get to know many of our patients through all life stages.
It’s almost in par with the old community health system which allows us to know our patients and allows them to get to know us.
What do you like to do away from work?
Away from work I like to walk, read, do yoga, dance and spend time with my family.
