LIVINGLIVING
Accu-Chek's involvement in the detection of hypos by dogs.
MAN'S BEST FRIEND
H
ypoglycaemia and
hypoglycaemia
unawareness are
associated with
significant reductions
in quality of life for people with diabetes.
As part of a launch of an Accu-Chek
Mobile Limited Pink Edition, Roche
Diabetes Care is sponsoring the charity
Medical Detection Dogs to train a puppy
to become a Diabetes Alert Dog.
These trained dogs can detect
hypoglycaemia (as well as hyperglycemia)
by smelling the chemical changes that
take place in the body when extreme
blood sugars occur. Hypo unawareness,
the inability to recognise symptoms of an
impending hypo, increases the risk for
severe hypo episodes. People with hypo
unawareness are affected not only by the
effects of these hypos, but also by the
fear of their recurrence. Family, partners,
friends and colleagues are therefore often
involved in helping to detect and treat
hypos. In some cases, family members
may restrict their own lives in order to help
support their loved ones. It means that
NEWS
REPORT
in addition to blood glucose monitoring
and educational assistance to help
prevent and manage hypo unawareness,
emotional support may also be needed.
Dogs may be man's best friend, and in
this case they really are.
Sponsors of charity
Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the
development of blood glucose monitoring
systems and a global leader for diabetes
management systems and services. For
more than 40 years, the Accu-Chek brand
has been dedicated to enabling people
with diabetes to live life as normally and
actively as possible.
With their amazing sense of smell,
the Medical Detection dogs are trained
to detect minute changes in blood sugar
levels.the UK's Diabetes Specialist
Nurses are being asked to vote on the
name of the puppy being sponsored
by Roche, which will be announced in
National Diabetes week in June.
The Medical Detection Dogs charity
receives no government funding and
relies entirely on charitable donations.
Training one puppy to become a Diabetes
Alert Dog takes 18 months and costs
£12,000. Roche's sponsorship will also
provide on-going support for the dog
and patient partnership for their first year
together.
Christina Bowden from Medical
Detection Dogs says, "A diabetes alert
dog can be a life-changing partnership
for a person with diabetes, offering
the confidence and freedom to live life
normally, giving greater independence and
above all, saving their life on a daily basis."
Brett Lewis, General Manager of
Roche Diabetes Care UK & Ireland
adds, "I am incredibly proud to work
for a company that is so focused on
the needs of people with diabetes. Our
partnership with Medical Detection Dogs
demonstrates our commitment to making
a difference to people's lives, by offering
them relief from their diabetes routine.
www.accu-chek.co.uk
