Queen of commons sense Maggie Dent addresses the audience at the Rio Tinto Children's Diabetes Centre event.
Parenting guru and Embrace ambassador Maggie Dent has called for “calmness, curiosity and compassion” for parents seeking to provide support to their children facing adversities including medical trauma.
Maggie made the remarks at a Rio Tinto Children’s Diabetes Centre (Diabetes Centre) forum held at UWA in late October.
The queen of common sense also said young people need a safe adult, or “lighthouse figure”, in their life.
“You don’t have to be a saviour... just be a safe place, someone to turn to,” she said.
Approximately 100 attendees also heard from Professor Liz Davis, Rio Tinto practice lead Rebecca Morton-Stephens, Dr Keely Bebbington, Dr Aveni Haynes and JDRF Australia head of philanthropy and partnerships Kari Musick at the event.
Embrace researchers Mx Rigel Paciente and Miss Sara Coombs also appeared in a video outlining the Wellbeing Project’s translation for young people living with type one diabetes (T1D). The video will be made public on World Diabetes Day in mid November.
Showcasing the multidisciplinary capacity of Embrace research, the T1D Wellbeing Project consists of a mixture of Embrace and Diabetes Centre researchers.
The Diabetes Centre's research is aimed at supporting kids and families to manage T1D. One of those aims is to help kids and families develop strategies to build resilience and support positive mental health.
Keeli, a Diabetes Centre researcher working on the T1D Wellbeing Project, told attendees about the importance of caregivers taking care of their own mental health.
“Parents of children with type one diabetes experience significant stress and consequently have poorer mental health,” she said.
“It’s okay to have these moments – we are not aiming for perfection.”
A panel consisting of Maggie, Keeli, Aveni, Associate Professor Craig Taplin and PCH senior social worker Kirsty Browne-Cooper closed proceedings by responding to questions from the audience on the research landscape for young people living with T1D.
Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto.
Dr Keely Bebbington told the audience about the importance of parent and caregiver mental health.
Embrace researchers Nicole Wickens, Sara Coombs, Rigel Paciente and Dr Karen Lombardi (far right) with Dr Keely Bebbington.
Embrace's Felicity Pheasant and Nicole Wickens at the October event.