Category: Health Care

Off to College with Diabetes

Moving from home to college can be tough on students with diabetes, as well as their  families. It’s important for everyone involved in this transition – health care providers, parents, and students – to prepare, and to make sure that everyone is on the same page.  the College Diabetes Network (CDN) has created multiple resources for all of these individuals to help ease this transition.

The CDN was created out of a need young adults have experienced for years, and we have become a hub of resources, support, and understanding for this under-served population.

College students have a responsibility to create a plan for themselves that keeps them safe – just like any other adult with diabetes does. The College Diabetes Network does a great job of assisting students with that transition. Register for Accommodations

The site has a wealth of  information including information on how to manage eating in a dining hall,  There are also resources for  parents and others in the student’s support network.

If you are a college student with diabetes or are a parent, medical professional or a college disability services provider, working with a college student with diabetes, it’s worth the time to explore the CDN site.

Chemo Brain

College disability support providers may not often serve a student who has had cancer or who is in the midst of cancer treatment and thus be uncertain how best to accommodate some of the needs the student identifies.

The American Cancer Society has useful resources at its site, including an informative section about the mental cloudiness cancer survivors experience, known as  “chemo brain”   Although somewhat lengthy,  the content can help disabilities service providers be more aware of what individuals who have had cancer or who are experiencing cancer may be coping with.

Chemo Brain

Ruby Slippers Take You Wherever You Want to Go

In a recent post at one of my favorite library blogs iLibrarian, I read about some Ruby Slippers.  I was amazed at what these oxfords, with bright red laces could do.   According to Lambert Varias at Technobob:

These shoes won’t take you home when you click your heels, but they will help you get there. Made by British artist Dominic Wilcox, the No Place Like Home shoes points the wearer to the right way via the magic of GPS.

The shoes  have a GPS receiver on the heel of the left shoe that can be used to punch in an address. Once the receiver knows where you want to go, LEDs on the left shoe indicate the direction to take, while a line of LEDs on the right shoe provides a rough estimate of proximity to the destination.

I couldn’t help but wonder if shoes such as these would be of benefit to individuals who are blind or visually impaired or the elderly who experience Alzheimer or dementia.

A little bit of research and I discovered this video which shows that GPS shoes are being used to  give dementia sufferers freedom and allows caregivers to keep track of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYEbwMFiOY0