We all know that living with type 1 diabetes increases our risk for heart-related complications including heart disease and heart attacks. Research even suggests that type 1 diabetes itself can alter cholesterol absorption and increase your risk of cardiovascular events.    We probably know that we should be keeping a close eye on our cholesterol and aiming to reduce our risk. But heading to a pathology centre to get a cholesterol test is one of those things that is all too easy to put off.   Well, no more! The Family Centre is now offering lipid profile / chole ..read more

Automated insulin delivery (AID) systems have come a long way in the last few years. Variable blood glucose (BG) targets, exercise modes, custom profiles and automatic corrections are all features that make a meaningful difference to helping us pumpers manage our BG targets on a daily basis. What many people are unaware of though, is that for pretty much all of those features we have to thank the amazing people from the #WeAreNotWaiting community who created DIY looping systems over ten years ago, and continue to improve them today. These systems put the pressure on insulin pump manufacturers ..read more

Type 1 diabetes occurs when stressors (viral, physical or emotional) activate the immune system to attack insulin-producing beta cells in a person with specific genetic markup.1 It is referred to as an autoimmune condition because one's own immune system attacks its own cells. When this occurs, the body produces neutralising proteins in defence, called autoantibodies. These are markers of the body's immune activity and can be detected via a blood test.2  There are 4 main antibodies that are specific markers for type 1 diabetes: insulin (IAA), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), insuli ..read more

The Family Centre has pioneered the delivery of type 1 diabetes specific psychology services and today we are excited to announce we're making this service more accessible than ever!   From 1 July 2024 we are delighted to be offering bulk billed psychology services with our own Registered Psychologist Natalia Hazell, to eligible people, with no out-of-pocket expense. This service is available for people with type 1 diabetes, who hold a healthcare card, veterans’ card, or pension card along with a valid mental health care plan.   All other clients with a valid mental health car ..read more

The Family Centre's Carb Conscious Cookbook is full of delicious recipes aimed at reducing the carbohydrate load of the meal, in particular processed and grain-based ingredients. We know carbs are sometimes tough to tackle for people living with type 1, but we also get that reducing carbohydrate for the whole family may not always be feasible.   Adapting higher-carb meals into lower carb options is always fun, but have you every considered doing it the other way around?   We have chosen one of our favourite winter dinner recipes from our very own Carb Conscious Cookbook and want t ..read more

There's an elephant in the room (for those of you familiar with the history of the Family Centre, her name is Elly :)) It's the role of food and carbohydrate intake in type 1 diabetes. I must have written this blog post over twenty times trying to get it right. Because somehow, for reasons that will forever elude me, we don't like to talk about food's role in managing type 1. In fact, the Family Centre has copped heavy criticism over its lifetime for daring to talk about it. It's something I wear as a badge of pride. It's just another area where we're willing to talk about it because we liv ..read more

Thanks to funding from Telethon, we're providing 100 complimentary HbA1c tests to WA kids! This is something that I'm personally very excited to announce. Although the HbA1c test is just one small part of diabetes management, it's a test that is associated with so much fear and judgement. I myself always feel like I'm getting my report card...! But coming to the Family Centre - your home away from home - you can get your results in a completely judgement free zone. It's an excuse to come visit us, spend some time with people who "get it" and have the kids enjoy our amazing Centre (playgroun ..read more

The Family Centre's very own Beck Newton is running clinics in the South-West in May! We have limited appointments available in Margaret River on 17 May and Busselton on 20 May. Beck is a type 1 ninja and all-around amazing person. Believe it or not, she is not only a Credentialled Diabetes Educator with a special interest in type 1 diabetes, but she is also a registered nurse and Accredited Practicing Dietitan with extra qualifications in mental health and health coaching. She's also an accredited Eating Disorders clinician. And on top of that, she's a certified insulin pump trainer, fa ..read more

One-of-a-kind Type 1 Diabetes Centre heads to Bunbury bringing world-class type 1 services to the South West! Key dates: 26-27 October 2023 Hundreds of people in the South West region live every day with type 1 diabetes – one of the most complex self-managed conditions anyone can be faced with. No one asks for type 1, and there is no cure. Left unchecked, type 1 can cause devastating consequences for individuals and their families. ​ To support people in the South West who live with type 1, the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre is heading to Bunbury on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 October. Our type 1 ..read more

Type 1 Essentials is a brand-new course that we developed to quickly upskill you and your loved ones on all the essential type 1 knowledge to live well with the condition. It’s everything we wish we had known when we started our journey with type 1. It’s a battle tested toolkit of the latest knowledge, advice and real-world experience of people living well with type 1. And thanks to a generous donation, we’re offering a $200 discount for the first 25 customers to visit https://t1learning.com/ and use the promo code generous25 at check out. That’s not a typo! You can get the entire Type 1 Esse ..read more