Hello, I'm new here! I thought I would join because my dad has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I'd like to help him if I can, I'll give you some back story first so that you can understand some of the difficulties we face.
My dad is in his mid-forties (I am twenty.) He is a very "traditional" (almost stereotypical) English working class man. He likes to drink a lot of beer, provide for the family and watch the football on TV etc... He is very stuck in his ways, just like his father who also has diabetes. His diet since being a child has not been healthy. He deep fries nearly everything, eats chips (fries) with nearly every meal although he does include a few vegetables, barely enough. I think his current family life plays a big part in his illness, he and my mother separated years ago and he lives with his girlfriend and her two children, while being a lovely person, she is an alcoholic, she rarely gets out of bed and does not look after her children or earn any money, so my dad feeds them- the only problem is that he's been unemployed for 2 years since being made redundant by his employer. He used to work fixing railways and although he has passed college courses given by the Jobcentre and applied for many jobs he just hasn't been about to find work. This has made him very depressed, he rarely shares his feelings but on a few occasions has broken down and cried because he feels he can't provide for the family he lives with or me and my sister. So he is feeding four on the typical jobseekers allowance of £72 a week, as well as bills etc, he really is barely getting by. His doctor told him that he was becoming pre-diabetic and suggested the usual diet to him, my dad stuck with it for about two weeks, but felt he couldn't afford it and that he just didn't like the food. Now he has been diagnosed with full type 2 diabetes, told to stick to a diet and given tablets.
I mentioned all this in the hopes that some of you could give me some advice that I could give him that fits his situation, thanks if you read all of this!
My dad is in his mid-forties (I am twenty.) He is a very "traditional" (almost stereotypical) English working class man. He likes to drink a lot of beer, provide for the family and watch the football on TV etc... He is very stuck in his ways, just like his father who also has diabetes. His diet since being a child has not been healthy. He deep fries nearly everything, eats chips (fries) with nearly every meal although he does include a few vegetables, barely enough. I think his current family life plays a big part in his illness, he and my mother separated years ago and he lives with his girlfriend and her two children, while being a lovely person, she is an alcoholic, she rarely gets out of bed and does not look after her children or earn any money, so my dad feeds them- the only problem is that he's been unemployed for 2 years since being made redundant by his employer. He used to work fixing railways and although he has passed college courses given by the Jobcentre and applied for many jobs he just hasn't been about to find work. This has made him very depressed, he rarely shares his feelings but on a few occasions has broken down and cried because he feels he can't provide for the family he lives with or me and my sister. So he is feeding four on the typical jobseekers allowance of £72 a week, as well as bills etc, he really is barely getting by. His doctor told him that he was becoming pre-diabetic and suggested the usual diet to him, my dad stuck with it for about two weeks, but felt he couldn't afford it and that he just didn't like the food. Now he has been diagnosed with full type 2 diabetes, told to stick to a diet and given tablets.
I mentioned all this in the hopes that some of you could give me some advice that I could give him that fits his situation, thanks if you read all of this!
