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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

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