News from Europe
Portugal: Youth camps improve relationships between patients and healthcare professionals
- Details
- Published on Monday, 10 August 2015 13:16
The last weekend of May, NJA (the youth group of the Portuguese Diabetes Association) arranged their 5th annual insulin pump weekend for young people with diabetes between the ages of 12 and 19 years old. In addition to the 10 participants, there were four organizers present, all of whom also have diabetes.
This summer also saw the 18th edition of APDP's 6-day summer camp. The camp was attended by 24 participants, between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, as well as six camp organizers. Both the summer camp and the insulin pump weekend had a healthcare team present, consisting of two nurses, two doctors, a nutritionist, and a psychologist.
The camps both consisted of a mix between educational sessions, leisure time and sports activities like climbing, mountain walks and canoeing. Above all, the participants also shared their knowledge and experience of living with diabetes with each other.
According to the participants, the camps served as great opportunities for empowerment, autonomy, as well as diabetes acceptance and well-being, and both the youth and the healthcare teams present recognised the importance of these activities for improving the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals.
For more information about NJA, please visit their Facebook page.