Diabetes Australia – Victoria health professionals have been running the Life! program since 2008 and helped over 56,000 Victorians to learn more about the steps they can take to live a healthy life. The program is funded by the Victorian Government and is free for anyone living with diabetes in Victoria who needs motivation and support to adopt healthy behaviours and a more active lifestyle.

In the news today a pilot coaching program in Queensland has helped patients over the phone who were recently discharged from hospital. The COACH (Coaching Patients on Achieving Cardiovascular Health) program proved particularly helpful in identifying treatment gaps between recommended guidelines and the care patients actually receive.

The COACH pilot program was successful with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in regional and metropolitan areas and according to the Director of the Health Contact Centre, Victoria Chambers, they now hope to make the program available nationally.

“The research showed that those individuals that participated made significant improvements across all of the risk factors associated with their chronic health condition,Victoria said.

Diabetes NSW Credentialled Diabetes Educator and Life Coach, Genevieve Biviano says coaching could benefit anyone with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, whether they have been diagnosed for a long time or a short time.

“People can feel particularly overwhelmed at first diagnosis there’s a lot of information to take in and coaching can help people adjust to lifestyle changes and it could also motivate people who have been diagnosed for a while to stay on track, Genevieve said.

Telephone coaching provides convenience for people in remote areas, eliminates transport issues and costs, and reduces the cost of running programs. While according to the International Coaching Federation, coaching is a positive and practical platform that focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change.

For more information about how you can improve the way you Live your life, contact us on 1800 637 700.