New online course: living well with diabetes

[Ledzeptt]

New online course

Futurelearn (part of the OU) are starting a new, free online course on living with diabetes. (I've done other courses with them and they've been very good.)

P.s. You can pay for a certificate, but this is probably only of interest to health professionals.

Details and registration at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/living-well-with-diabetes?

Here's a summary:
ONLINE COURSE
Living Well with Diabetes

Examine the concepts of health, wellness and holism and understand what it means to have an illness like diabetes.


Understand holistic healthcare and what it means to live well with Diabetes
Diabetes is recognised as the world’s fastest growing chronic condition, with an estimated 422 million people living with it worldwide.

This online course examines the concepts of health, wellness and holism, to find out what it means to have a chronic illness like diabetes.

You’ll explore the psychological impact of diabetes and the ideas of self-efficacy and self-care, and get a free taste of Deakin University’s postgraduate degree in Diabetes Education, which can be done entirely on FutureLearn.

• Duration 2 weeks
• 3 hours per week
• FREE online course
• Certificates available

View transcript
When would you like to start?

• 1 May 2017
• Date to be announced

What will you achieve?

• Explore the concepts of health, wellness and holism
• Explain the connections between chronic illness and quality of life
• Investigate the psycho-social impact of diabetes for individuals and their family members and their coping strategies
• Explore the role of self-efficacy in achieving self-care and living well with diabetes

Who is the course for?
This course is targeted at:

• people wanting to understand the causes, types and treatment of diabetes
• health professionals wanting to reduce the prevalence and impact of diabetes.

 

[Salvia]

Me too. It will be interesting to see what approach they take to the various dietary options available to and/or employed by those who are living with diabetes

 

[Polgara]

I've signed up - looks very interesting

 

[Enclave]

looks very interesting

 

[Resurgam]

I've started to do the course - but as you say it is not about diabetes - it is about illness and lack of health - and as I did not feel ill and have only benefitted from diagnosis it is a bit difficult to comment in some sections.

 

[AM1874]

I must say that I have had a real problem in pinning down the relevance of this course to diabetics in general and myself in particular. As others have pointed out above, it is not actually about diabetes. Fundamentally, most of the subject matter is about how the medical profession, decision makers and government bodies develop strategies and policies for addressing the problems of illness, disease and lifestyle issues within society. For individual students, it seems that progression is linked only to ..
a) reading pre-set material and coming up with the "correct" answers to questions taken from this material .. with three guesses at each question to "get it right"
b) participation in rather low-key "community" (ie: other students) discussions

I also think that the course description is vague and confusing, stating that this course is targeted at:

• people wanting to understand the causes, types and treatment of diabetes
• health professionals wanting to reduce the prevalence and impact of diabetes

The first of these groups, surely, includes everybody who has - or may have - diabetes, their families, relatives and carers .. and everybody involved in the diagnosis, care and treatment of diabetes and in the management of these services. By definition, the second group includes all HPs in the first group, together with those in national organisations, government departments, medical research institutions and so on. Well, I wish FutureLearn the best of luck in hitting these "targets". IMHO, it's all far too esoteric, idealistic and ambitious .. and with my cynical hat on, it all seems to me to look like the groundwork for a future funding application ..

It's not for me and I won't be continuing with the course ..

 

[OrsonKartt]

I must say that I have had a real problem in pinning down the relevance of this course to diabetics in general and myself in particular. As others have pointed out above, it is not actually about diabetes. Fundamentally, most of the subject matter is about how the medical profession, decision makers and government bodies develop strategies and policies for addressing the problems of illness, disease and lifestyle issues within society. For individual students, it seems that progression is linked only to ..
a) reading pre-set material and coming up with the "correct" answers to questions taken from this material .. with three guesses at each question to "get it right"
b) participation in rather low-key "community" (ie: other students) discussions

I also think that the course description is vague and confusing, stating that this course is targeted at:

• people wanting to understand the causes, types and treatment of diabetes
• health professionals wanting to reduce the prevalence and impact of diabetes

The first of these groups, surely, includes everybody who has - or may have - diabetes, their families, relatives and carers .. and everybody involved in the diagnosis, care and treatment of diabetes and in the management of these services. By definition, the second group includes all HPs in the first group, together with those in national organisations, government departments, medical research institutions and so on. Well, I wish FutureLearn the best of luck in hitting these "targets". IMHO, it's all far too esoteric, idealistic and ambitious .. and with my cynical hat on, it all seems to me to look like the groundwork for a future funding application ..

It's not for me and I won't be continuing with the course ..

I do hope you have left similar comments with future learn. I have done a couple of their courses and have Also been disappointed. There was no references ie facts were stated but no way of checking these as facts. A great disappointment !