Foothills residents with type one or type two diabetes,.and their families, are urged to take in the 14th Annual Diabetes Day and Awareness Expo.

Scott McRae, Regional Director for Alberta and Northwest Territories at the Canadian Diabetes Association, says there will be lectures as well as displays from many different groups.

"It's a combination of a trade show or exhibition and a lecture format," McRae says. "So we'll have six speakers throughout the course of the morning and there will be an exhibition hall with a bunch of different booths with pharmaceutical companies to various other lifestyle therapies to essentially anything dealing with the diabetes world."

He says the goal is always improved management to avoid complications.

He says the day begins with a presentation from Dr. Pere Santamaria who's done work on research with mice which have been able to reverse the body attacking itself completely regaining glucose control. It's a development that also shows progress for other auto immune diseases such as arthritis.

There's also an update on the islet transplant program in Edmonton

McRae says there are amazing things being done in Alberta.

The event goes Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Foothills Hospital's Heath Sciences Centre.