New monitoring system now free for seniors living with type 1 diabetes

Mrs Latty - from Hornsby in NSW - was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1997, and only found out three years ago that she is actually living with type 1 diabetes after changing specialists.

She has worked for the shipping company for 11 years and says she has had to keep working to afford all her medications.

But as of March 1, Mrs Latty is one of 58,000 eligible Australians living with Type 1 diabetes who stand to save up to $2400 a year, thanks to the Government's $300 million Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) initiative.

As part of the initiative, eligible Australians with type 1 diabetes can now get a fully subsidised FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring device.

The device - which costs $92.50 every two weeks - allows people to check their glucose levels without painful routine finger-pricks, which they would normally need to do a number of times a day.

Mrs Latty has already been paying to use the Freestyle Libre flash glucose monitor for some years. "It's fantastic and I check more often - and no more finger pricks."

The device also allows her to download the data and share it with her health professional before appointments.

But in order to afford the device before the subsidy kicked in, she had to budget carefully. She said was thrilled when the subsidy was announced.

"Working part time and on a part pension, you're kind of counting your dollars, and coughing up 200 bucks a month is quite a lot out of my budget. So having it subsidised, it's an absolute boon as far as I'm concerned. I was prepared to pinch and save and scrape in order to have them, but having it subsidised is wonderful," said Mrs Latty, who has also been experiencing diabetes-related complications with her breating and blockages in her veins.

The device works using a sensor on the back of the arm which connects to a reader or mobile phone app, which in turn stores glucose levels day and night to help people manage their diabetes and avoid dangerous hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

"With having it [the FreeStyle Libre], it gives me a clear picture of how I'm going because there's 24/7 readouts and you can go back and see just where you are," said Mrs Latty.

"Sometimes I've found I was having a low and I didn't realise I was having it, whereas with this I can now spot when I've had them. Occasionally I've had them overnight and not realised and not come to. Having it gives me two things: it's a clearer picture, and the confidence in what I'm doing."

Additionally, from 1 March 2020 the eligibility criteria will be streamlined to allow more people with type 1 diabetes to access the CGM Initiative. The requirement to demonstrate 'high clinical need' has been removed.

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