The opening keynote speaker at Thriveabetes is Gary Scheiner. Gary is a person with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years and is also a diabetes educator with his own practise in Pennsylvania. He has clients from all over the world. He wrote the book "Think like a Pancreas" in 2004, which essentially covers anything and everything you'd need to know about living with diabetes and has been updated several times including most recently in 2012. "Few diabetes books focus specifically on the day-to-day issues facing people who use insulin. Diabetes educator Gary Scheiner provides the tools to “think like a pancreas”—to successfully master the art and science of matching insulin to the body’s ever-changing needs. Comprehensive, free of medical jargon, and packed with useful information not readily available elsewhere, this new edition covers the many strides taken in diabetes education and management since the first edition seven years ago." Source Good Reads

Gary has put a guest post together so that you can get to know him a little before Thriveabetes 2016.

It’s All About Bridging Gaps

By Gary Scheiner MS, CDE

Traveling is a lot of fun for me.  After 31 years of living with type-1 diabetes, I know that my blood sugars aren’t in-range as much as usual when I travel, but I would never give it up.  I get to meet new people, see new places, and experience new things.  Those are only a few reasons why I’m super-excited about presenting and participating in the Thriveabetes Conference this coming October. 

I recently returned from a trip to Budapest, Hungary to deliver a presentation to a large group of diabetes nurses from all over Europe.  I took a few hours away from the meeting for a walking tour of the city, and was amazed to learn how much devastation had taken place there during World War II (the city looks amazing today!).  During the war, the enemy learned that the best way to cripple a city was to destroy its bridges.  Six of the seven bridges spanning the Danube River in Budapest were destroyed, leaving a devastating gap between the two halves of the city.  

It made me think about the gap that currently exists between what most people with type-1 diabetes need to take care of themselves and what most healthcare providers are able to deliver.  Think about it:  Who has a doctor or nurse that gives us all the time we need?  Knows and applies all the latest technologies?  Makes themselves accessible whenever we need them?  Customizes the treatment plan for each individual?  And brings passion to their job each and every day?  Well, I’ve made it my personal mission to bridge those gaps for people with type-1 diabetes worldwide, including people all across Ireland, through my practice - Integrated Diabetes Services.

For starters, we’re bridging the time gap.  Our initial appointments are generally 90 minutes, and follow-up appointments are usually 45 minutes.  Just try to spend that much time with your doctor or nurse!  In addition, we encourage our clients to correspond with us between appointments so that we can review data, answer questions, and help them to troubleshoot effectively.

Then there’s the expertise gap.  Ever get the feeling that you know more about diabetes than your doctor?  Integrated Diabetes Services features a team of Certified Diabetes Educators, including nurses, dietitians, exercise physiologists and emotional health experts.  All of our clinicians have direct experience with the latest technologies (pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems, software & apps).  We write books and journal articles.  We present at major national and international diabetes conferences.  We serve on advisory boards.  In our free time, we gobble up reams of information from research & clinical journals just to stay on the cutting edge.  We’re right at home when it comes to diving into detailed data logs and downloaded reports to uncover key patterns & trends.  You won’t find a sharper set of experts anywhere!

Given that our entire clinical team has a direct personal connection to diabetes, you’ll find a level of passion and compassion that is often lacking in today’s healthcare systems.  We know what it feels like to have a low in the middle of the night or a high that lasts hours for no apparent reason.  Teaching and managing diabetes isn’t just a job to us… it’s our mission.  

Accessibility isn’t just a convenience in modern life.  It’s a necessity.  All of our services are available via phone, video chat, e-mail, text, and data downloads.  Our patients love the ability to communicate with us at their convenience, not ours.  Between-appointment communication is encouraged, and always receives a timely response.

Integrated Diabetes Services believes that everyone deserves a customized care plan.  Our services are tailored to each individual’s wants, needs and interests.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” program.  

We provide advanced diabetes self-management education along with fine-tuning of blood sugar levels.  We offer this for both children and adults with type-1 diabetes.  Some of our specialty areas include sports/exercise, type-1 & pregnancy, weight loss counseling, insulin pump and CGM optimization, A1c reduction, and minimizing hypoglycemia & long-term complications.

We’re not here to replace your current healthcare team...  just to bridge the gap between what they provide and what you might need.  Our clients pay us directly for our services, and we are flexible with our fees for those who are unable to afford our usual rates. I sincerely look forward to meeting many of you at TRIVEABETES 2016 in Kildare.  If anyone has questions or would like to learn more about my practice’s services prior to the conference, please feel free to reach out to me personally by email (gary@integrateddiabetes.com), phone (+1 610 642-6055) or via my website (www.integrateddiabetes.com).  

 

Register for Thriveabetes

Thriveabetes 2016 takes place on Saturday 1st October in Naas, Co. Kildare. Registration is open now and you can read more about our speakers here.