Group convener Brigitte Gibson welcomed members and several new faces to the first meeting of the year of the Bairnsdale and District Diabetes Support Group last week.
Guest speaker was Tom Forster, pharmacist with Complete Care Pharmacy Bairnsdale (the former Advantage Pharmacy) who returned to update the group on medications and services provided for diabetics.
He started by explaining the changes made to the pharmacy being due to the need to provide additional services, which are now incorporated into their site. They were one of the first pharmacies to do so.
The pharmacy is the only compounding pharmacy in the Gippsland Region that provides custom-made personalised medication.
Services now include nurse practitioner available through Tele-health that can provide similar services to a doctor; Medical checks to review the medications you are taking with a printed list provided for you; Weekly medical packs made up or you which are free if you have a home care package. The pharmacy can also provide vaccinations.
There is currently a trial program, Know Your Numbers, by tracking sugars in the blood by testing both HbA1c (your average blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months), as well as lipid levels (a breakdown of your cholesterol levels). It is a simple two finger pricks test. Part of staying healthy is tracking your numbers and understanding what they mean.
Tom covered various other topics and answered the many questions from members which arose during the presentation.
The importance of vaccinations was stressed, as COVID is still around and there are now tablets available as well as vaccines.
There is an outbreak of Whooping Cough, which is a reportable illness, and vaccination should be repeated every 10 years. The flu season is almost here and vaccinations should be available soon. The supply of Ozempic will continue to be limited and some people have been prescribed alternate medicines such as Weygovi, which can help adults with weight related conditions.
Warren Whalen presented Tom with a small gift on behalf of the group and thanked him for his excellent talk and for answering the many and varied questions put to him.
