As a community outreach endeavour, April Lewis from CARP Surrey/Whiterock Chapter 11 and Jeffrey Sefton from Vancouver Central Chapter 45 represented CARP to provide forum participants with information about CARP Chapters in their community.

Welcome to our new CARP members that signed up to get involved and support their local CARP Chapter!

We had plenty of interest in CARP from forum participants. They were interested to learn more about how our National Office and Chapters throughout Canada are working together on advocacy issues that are important to our members. The issue most on their mind was health care.

Did you know?

• An individual living with diabetes can pay up to $5,000 annually in out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medications, devices and supplies because they do not have an extended healthcare plan.
• The risk of developing type 2 diabetes rises with age
• 80% of Canadians with diabetes die from a heart attack or a stroke
• 42% of new kidney dialysis patients in 2004 had diabetes
• Diabetes is the single leading cause of blindness in Canada
• 7 of 10 non-traumatic limb amputations are the result of diabetes complications
• 25% of people with diabetes suffer from depression
• The life expectancy for people with type 1 diabetes may be shortened by as much as 15 years
• The life expectancy for people with type 2 diabetes may be shortened by 5 to 10 years
• There is a support group in Vancouver for those living with diabetes
  Contact Anne for more information:  [email protected]

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Canadian Diabetes Association – diabetes.ca