Courses

The Finnish Diabetes Association provides counselling, training and coping courses for persons with diabetes and their immediate family members. The aim on the courses is to provide knowledge and skill, help and support for individuals identify barriers to good life, to promote problem-solving and coping skills to achieve effective self-care behaviour and behaviour change and to make everyday living with diabetes easier.

There are courses for different target groups ranging from children to senior citizens. Some of the courses for adults are also organized to match to their treatment.

For families with children

The families operate in groups according to the age of the children (children with diabetes are under the age of 12). Parents have the opportunity to consider in groups what implications diabetes has for the family, discuss the problems, seek and work out solutions, exchange experiences and thoughts with other families and review their knowledge and caring skills. Interspersed with recreational activities children are provided with teaching of age-appropriate caring skills.

The courses for families with children last five days and are mostly funded by the hospitals at which the participants are treated. They are free of charge to participants and travel expenses and absence from work are compensated according to the Finnish health insurance practices. It is also possible to participate on a self-funding basis.

For expectant mothers

We offer a do-it-yourself gestational diabetes web course intended for those at risk for gestational diabetes or those expectant mothers who have a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

For young people

The courses for young people with diabetes offer support in becoming independent, improving self-care skills and taking responsibility. The programme includes a wide range of group activities and doing things together.

Courses are mostly funded by the hospitals at which they are treated. They are free of charge to participants, and travel expenses are refunded according to the Finnish health insurance practices. Self-funding participation is also a possibility.

For persons in working life

The courses for persons with diabetes in working life offer an opportunity to update knowledge and improve self-care skills. Exchanging experiences with other persons with diabetes helps people to cope.

It is possible to join these courses on funding from social- and health care or occupational health care, or on a self-funding basis. The application to join a course must be accompanied by a referral from the treating physician.

For older people

The courses are meant for retired people aged with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The aim of courses for seniors is to make it easier to live with diabetes on a day-to-day basis, to improve self-care skills in practical situations and to exchange experiences with other persons with diabetes.