DAFNE - in person or remote?

[janedent]

I think it depends what you want to get out of the course and how interactive the remote course is.
For be, by far, the biggest value from the course was meeting and talking to other people with Type 1.
It was a huge eye opener for me to understand for real (rather than the "stories" you can read online) the impact diabetes can have on your life, especially if you are unable to manage it.
If the remote course is interactive and the trainers are good, you should still be able to get these insights, have great discussions and break out sessions in small groups.
However, if the course is an "online course" where you watch videos, read documents and then have a "zoom meeting" to discuss any questions for 30 minutes, I would get little out of it.
But then, I am someone who would read everything I can find beforehand.

I think it is worth talking to your team/DSN to understand what the remote course involves and how long you need to wait for a face to face.

(I hope things have changed but I had to wait 12 years to get on the course and would have taken a remote one if I knew that.)

I was lucky - I waited 8 months, but I pestered them a lot.
At one point I discovered that my GP had refused my request to be referred because "the DAFNE course isn't for type 1 diabetics". She eventually backed down on that but then claimed that a GP can't refer you anyway (untrue, I rang the DAFNE office and checked). I suppose the diabetes clinic must have referred me in the end.

 

[Daisycoo]

I think this a the course @Daisycoo was referring to.

OLCreate: DAFNE healthcare professionals | OLCreate

www.open.edu

Yeah it is. Couldn’t find the link

 

[janedent]

I think this a the course @Daisycoo was referring to.

OLCreate: DAFNE healthcare professionals | OLCreate

www.open.edu

I definitely agree with working out what you want from DAFNE as it varies from person to person.
But remember, it may be a prerequisite for access to some technology - the only reason I attended the local DAFNE equivalent was to get a pump. This may not be the case everywhere but something to consider.

My sister has a pump but hasn't done DAFNE

 

[rebrascora]

I did DAFNE in person and there were many benefits for me in being in the same room with others, being able to chat to them during lunch, discussing different issues that each of us experienced during the course (mine was a week long of 9am-3.3pm ish) and learning to problem solve for each other, because the issues I faced then are not the issues I face now, so learning to problem solve other participant's diabetes challenges set you up to deal with whatever your future diabetes throws at you. I also learned from the young women in the group that it was perfectly OK to expose a bit of midriff in public and inject rather than disappear off to somewhere quiet or private which might have been a toilet for instance in a pub or restaurant prior to that. It was just a real confidence boost for me to spend a week with others who were also having to negotiate the myriad of considerations required to calculate every dose of insulin, be it basal or bolus. Hearing others personal stories and learning from them as well as sharing your own. It felt almost like being normal being within this group, rather than being a bit odd in a group of normal people if you see what I mean. We all got out insulin pens out at lunchtime and calculated and injected. There was something really bonding about doing all that which I couldn't have got online. I suppose very similar to this forum that many of us faced similar challenges but people had different approaches to dealing with them.
To me, you could do the BERT1E online course which is available to anyone and then hang on for an in person DAFNE if that option is still available. I would doubt that you will get the chance or necessarily want to do it virtually and in person as that would be a big time commitment. In the meantime, you can learn A LOT from people here on the forum and for me, together with carefully experimenting on myself, that has been the single biggest source of knowledge, information and support, although I think DAFNE sort of gave me the green light to start experimenting and adjusting basal doses etc whereas before I perhaps felt like I should only do what my nurse told me to do.

 

[Dianusia]

Nah, live in London.

Bertie is also offered in Surrey so im not sure how wide spread it is but good luck. I hope you get sorted soon.

 

[rayray119]

I did DAFNE in person and there were many benefits for me in being in the same room with others, being able to chat to them during lunch, discussing different issues that each of us experienced during the course (mine was a week long of 9am-3.3pm ish) and learning to problem solve for each other, because the issues I faced then are not the issues I face now, so learning to problem solve other participant's diabetes challenges set you up to deal with whatever your future diabetes throws at you. I also learned from the young women in the group that it was perfectly OK to expose a bit of midriff in public and inject rather than disappear off to somewhere quiet or private which might have been a toilet for instance in a pub or restaurant prior to that. It was just a real confidence boost for me to spend a week with others who were also having to negotiate the myriad of considerations required to calculate every dose of insulin, be it basal or bolus. Hearing others personal stories and learning from them as well as sharing your own. It felt almost like being normal being within this group, rather than being a bit odd in a group of normal people if you see what I mean. We all got out insulin pens out at lunchtime and calculated and injected. There was something really bonding about doing all that which I couldn't have got online. I suppose very similar to this forum that many of us faced similar challenges but people had different approaches to dealing with them.
To me, you could do the BERT1E online course which is available to anyone and then hang on for an in person DAFNE if that option is still available. I would doubt that you will get the chance or necessarily want to do it virtually and in person as that would be a big time commitment. In the meantime, you can learn A LOT from people here on the forum and for me, together with carefully experimenting on myself, that has been the single biggest source of knowledge, information and support, although I think DAFNE sort of gave me the green light to start experimenting and adjusting basal doses etc whereas before I perhaps felt like I should only do what my nurse told me to do.

There was actually some of that in my remote course we shared a data and gave thoughts on what was going on.

 

[nonethewiser]

By my own admission I'm not very sociable so thought of spending 5 days with a bunch of strangers wasn't very welcoming, but tbh it all went fine & people on course were friendly as were staff. Many of things taught already knew about but picked up some new info which have since put to good use.

Would recommend anyone to do course either in person or online, whatever suits.

 

[janedent]

Bertie is also offered in Surrey so im not sure how wide spread it is but good luck. I hope you get sorted soon.

I did DAFNE in person and there were many benefits for me in being in the same room with others, being able to chat to them during lunch, discussing different issues that each of us experienced during the course (mine was a week long of 9am-3.3pm ish) and learning to problem solve for each other, because the issues I faced then are not the issues I face now, so learning to problem solve other participant's diabetes challenges set you up to deal with whatever your future diabetes throws at you. I also learned from the young women in the group that it was perfectly OK to expose a bit of midriff in public and inject rather than disappear off to somewhere quiet or private which might have been a toilet for instance in a pub or restaurant prior to that. It was just a real confidence boost for me to spend a week with others who were also having to negotiate the myriad of considerations required to calculate every dose of insulin, be it basal or bolus. Hearing others personal stories and learning from them as well as sharing your own. It felt almost like being normal being within this group, rather than being a bit odd in a group of normal people if you see what I mean. We all got out insulin pens out at lunchtime and calculated and injected. There was something really bonding about doing all that which I couldn't have got online. I suppose very similar to this forum that many of us faced similar challenges but people had different approaches to dealing with them.
To me, you could do the BERT1E online course which is available to anyone and then hang on for an in person DAFNE if that option is still available. I would doubt that you will get the chance or necessarily want to do it virtually and in person as that would be a big time commitment. In the meantime, you can learn A LOT from people here on the forum and for me, together with carefully experimenting on myself, that has been the single biggest source of knowledge, information and support, although I think DAFNE sort of gave me the green light to start experimenting and adjusting basal doses etc whereas before I perhaps felt like I should only do what my nurse told me to do.

What you've described is EXACTLY why I have been looking forward to the course and why I know it would be much better (for me) to do it in person.

 

[rayray119]

What you've described is EXACTLY why I have been looking forward to the course and why I know it would be much better (for me) to do it in person.

Before you say no to the remote one I would check with hospital weather they have plans to make it in person again like I said my hospital are just keeping as remote now.

 

[Amity Island]

Hi
I punched the air yesterday when I got the email offering me a place on a DAFNE course in January. The downside (to me) was that it's a remote course and I'm an in-person person. I'm wondering whether to wait for a face to face course (if there is one - I will enquire).
I realise nobody on this forum will have done both courses to make a comparison, but does anyone have any experience and opinion of the remote course?

I've done the DAFNE course, it was very good and worthwhile. I think as a matter of principle I'd go for a human connection rather than a virtual pc screen appointment. Despite what many believe and are becoming accustomed to, it's really important to be able to have human connections and interactions.

If we are not in person then we are not actually meeting anyone.

.

 

[janedent]

Before you say no to the remote one I would check with hospital weather they have plans to make it in person again like I said my hospital are just keeping as remote now.

Will do

 

[janedent]

I've done the DAFNE course, it was very good and worthwhile. I think as a matter of principle I'd go for a human connection rather than a virtual pc screen appointment. Despite what many believe and are becoming accustomed to, it's really important to be able to have human connections and interactions.

If we are not in person then we are not actually meeting anyone.

.

Completely agree

 

[janedent]

That's the hope, obviously. Attending one of these courses means they see you (in a group, admittedly) for a few hours over a short period of time. That's likely to be more than they'll have seen each person over years, normally.

Agreed. I'm sure no-one in the diabetic team knows me. I've never seen the same person twice.

 

[janedent]

No it was definitely DAFNE. I did it through my betes team and the Open University mid July. I’m sure it was meant to take longer (maybe a hour or so a night) but I sat one night and went through it all in a couple of hours.
It wasn’t to bad, a lot of things to watch/listen to. Bit of working out and selecting answers. A couple of hours and I had completed it

OK, I'm sure you're right. My letter mentioned the Open University too. But looking at the (very full) timetable, the course they've offered me includes a 3 hour 'Educator Support video call' whatever that means, every Tuesday.

 

[janedent]

Before you say no to the remote one I would check with hospital weather they have plans to make it in person again like I said my hospital are just keeping as remote now.

I will. Definitely not going to burn any bridges. But I live in London and I've looked on the DAFNE website and there are at least 10 hospitals that I could get to easily by train. Of course the question is: do they mind the inconvenience of hunting down an in-person course for me? I will ask them...

 

[Amity Island]

Of course the question is: do they mind the inconvenience of hunting down an in-person course for me? I will ask them...

Unfortunately, given the ongoing trend, if we don't keep attending in person, like the banks, the shops, doctors, cinemas, offices etc we'll have the inconvenience of them not being there in the future.

 

[janedent]

The person running the DAFNE course at St Thomas's rang me today. She was lovely and talked about the difference between face to face and virtual. She told me that most people (about 60-70%) ask for the face to face course. She also said that she feels the face to face is better ("more engaging"). So I've said I'll wait a bit longer and do face to face. In the meantime I'll plough on with Think Like A Pancreas. And read the message boards here of course.

 

[SB2015]

I did DAFNE in person about 18 months after diagnosis. It was such a rare opportunity to meet others with T1, and to share our experiences rather than theoretical management. The session each morning where we looked at levels and food intake from the previous day was incredibly useful as we worked together to discuss any changes we would make.

When I saw the new DAFNE for HCL flagged on here I looked at the content and found that there were bits that I wanted more info. I have just been referred to the course which is run by OU and is a set of self guided modules. Happy with that at this stage, as there are a few that I shall skim through, but others I will be working through in detail. The info in HCL is developing all the time and it is good to have a chance to tap into it.

 

[janedent]

Thanks SB2015. The rare opportunity to meet with other type 1s and share experiences is what I'm after. I do have a sister who's type 1 so I sometimes ask her for advice, but since she's been type 1 for 50 years she's not so up on the latest findings.
I'm really looking forward to the course.