2021 was a milestone year for diabetes with celebrations, gains and challenges
2021 has been a milestone year in more ways than one for Canadians living with diabetes and for those advocating on their behalf: a year to celebrate the discovery of insulin 100 years ago; another year to deal with the pandemic’s impacts on people with diabetes; and a year of gains and continuing challenges in the quest to stem the growth of the diabetes epidemic.
Celebrating insulin’s discovery with new commitments
The 100-year anniversary of Canada’s momentous discovery of insulin helped inspire notable action in 2021, says Laura Syron, president and CEO of Diabetes Canada. “We applaud Parliamentarians for passing Bill C-237 in June, An Act to Establish a National Framework for Diabetes in Canada,” she says. “Kudos to all members of parliament who voted unanimously to support this pivotal step – recognizing that much work remains to be done to address the growing prevalence of diabetes.”
“Canada gave the world the gift of insulin 100 years ago, and it’s fitting that Canada, in 2021, is once again showing leadership in the fight against diabetes in its own nation. ”
Over the past several years, Diabetes Canada has been advocating for a nationwide diabetes strategy for Canada – to build on Diabetes 360°. This evidence-informed plan to tackle diabetes in Canada was built by Diabetes Canada in collaboration with more than 100 groups and individuals, including those living with diabetes, from across the country. “A national framework will help bring evidence-based best practices in care and management to Canadians with diabetes everywhere in the country,” Ms. Syron says.
Another welcome commitment: new funding of $35-million within the 2021 federal budget for further development of the national framework, and investments for diabetes research, surveillance and type 2 prevention.
Individual action by Canadians, including people with diabetes, helped to achieve this historic government commitment. Over the years, thousands of Canadians wrote to their MPs and shared their experiences about living with diabetes and expressed what they needed. “We can make important progress towards ending diabetes through collective, individual actions,” Ms. Syron says.
“Canada gave the world the gift of insulin 100 years ago, and it’s fitting that Canada, in 2021, is once again showing leadership in the fight against diabetes in its own nation,” she says.
Ongoing challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic
The surge of COVID-19 in 2020 significantly disrupted normal routines of care and management for Canadians with diabetes. While vaccination and other public-health measures have helped make 2021 a better year, Diabetes Canada remains concerned about the short- and long-term impacts for these individuals.
“The longer the pandemic goes on, the more we hear about people with diabetes struggling with their mental health,” says Ms. Syron. “Many people remain in their homes, curtailing their social contacts and feeling more isolated, already a challenge when you have a chronic disease. There continues to be a lot of suffering.”
Another concern is the health effects of interruptions in checkups aimed at preventing diabetes complications. Virtual care has kept patients connected with their health-care providers in some ways, but not everything can be handled through video or phone links.
“We don’t yet know the long-term impacts of the pandemic on people living with diabetes,” she says. “If you haven’t been getting your regular foot care or your eye exams, or if you haven’t been properly monitoring your blood pressure at home – missing these important monitoring activities could be detrimental over the longer term.”
Supporting the mental health of people with diabetes and deploying the best strategies for reducing the risks for health complications are among Diabetes Canada’s priorities as it plans ahead – looking for more ways to improve health and quality of life for people with diabetes today and to help prevent future growth of the diabetes epidemic.
Changing the conversation around diabetes
“We ultimately want to cure diabetes and will continue to fund research to that end,” says Ms. Syron. “Reducing risk and improving care are also priorities, but in terms of our focus over the next few years, we especially want to focus on breaking down some of the barriers to accessing effective care and achieving good quality of life.”
One of the barriers is rooted in misconceptions about diabetes, she says.
“That’s why one of our priorities will be to work on changing the conversation around diabetes, similar to the way that mental health advocates have changed that conversation. We want Canadians to think about diabetes in a different way, and that means to reduce the stigma, patients’ self-limiting beliefs and feelings of shame about having diabetes, and the idea that the individual is to blame for their health condition.
“If an individual gets diagnosed with diabetes and is embarrassed to tell people or goes to a place of denial, they’re not going to get the support and help they need.”
Changing the conversation will also have impacts at the broader societal level, says Ms. Syron. “We believe that promoting greater understanding of the causes and impacts of all types of diabetes will increase buy-in for more collective action to tackle the challenge of the diabetes epidemic.”
To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com
To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Diabetes Awareness