Mohammed’s Story
Mohammed is now retired and has been living with type 2 diabetes for more than 10 years. The diabetes was identified at a random health check at his work place, He was referred to his GP, and was put on medication.
Following this, apart from the routine check-ups, he told us that he had little additional support or any education on his condition.
He told us “I have been living and working in UK since 1968, a working family man of 4 children. Life has not been easy for Asian and there was not much support for me. I was always eating on the go, I did not know what healthy lifestyle was.”
Last year Mohammed was referred to Healthworks for support with his diabetes and he started our Action on Diabetes 12 weeks programme which support people to achieve a healthier lifestyle, looks at type 2 diabetes in more depth and gives people a better understanding of the diabetes and managing it. We worked with Mohammed via weekly video support sessions over the 12 weeks.
As a result of working with Healthworks, Mohammed reports that he now a much better understanding of type 2 diabetes, how to achieve and maintain a healthy diet, foods to avoid, how to introduce exercise into his life and the importance of managing stress and mindfulness.
Mohammed told us:
By introducing these changes I feel I can manage my condition better as I eat more fruit and vegetables, have cut down on oily and fatty foods. I now exercise daily and am feeling much happier. Shifa explains the programme so well and breaks it down to our level of understanding, she uses pictures to help us to have a better understand of the topic such as portion sizes and how diabetes effects our health. I only wish I did this programme when I was first diagnosed with diabetes.