“For individuals who are diabetic, an insulin pump is a way of delivering insulin that most closely mimics nature’s way of insulin delivery,” said Andrea Witt, RN CDE, certified diabetes educator with the Mercy Certified Diabetes Education Center. Witt added, “Although pump technology is not that new, there are too few patients and caregivers who understand how pumps work.”
To help promote that understanding and awareness of the different insulin pumps available today, Mercy is offering a special event and invites anyone who is interested in learning more. On Tuesday, April 12 from 1 – 5 p.m., Mercy will feature several manufacturers of insulin pumps who will present information and answer questions. The event will be held in Conference Room A at Mercy’s North Campus.
The Mercy Diabetes Education Center planned the event to inform people interested in insulin therapy about this type of insulin treatment. In the effort to bring an individual’s blood sugars as close to normal as possible, individuals may be advised by their physician to use an insulin pump. The pump can help to reduce the highs and lows of blood sugar and makes the process of giving insulin easier and more convenient. Insulin pumps are intended for people who are dependent on insulin and would typically take insulin more than three times a day.
“We wanted to provide an opportunity to view and test out different pumps from a few different companies that manufacture insulin pumps,” said April Fuegen, RD LD and certified diabetes educator.
According to Witt, insulin pumps are small computers that are approximately the size of a cell phone and have different features that appeal to different people.
“They have many ways to make insulin delivery easy, but it is important to find the ‘right one,'” said Witt. “Some pumps are tubeless and some have a tiny tube that goes from the pump to just under the skin. They each have different push button technology to help with insulin delivery,” she added.
According to Witt, people of all ages and types of diabetes can use insulin pumps. Witt added that most insurance providers will cover insulin pumps due to the fact that people can often live healthier while on pumps.
Representatives of the following insulin pump devices will be on hand for the event: Medtronic Mini-med, Roche Combo, and Tandem t-slim. Insulet Omni-pod information will also be available. The event will open at 1 p.m. with various pumps on display. At 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. the diabetes educators will present “Pump Basics: The Who, What, Why and How of Insulin Pumping” and a panel discussion will be featured at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. All throughout the event, there will be an opportunity to see the insulin pumps on display and speak to a certified diabetes educator or pump representatives to learn more. Individuals can stop by any time between 1 – 5 p.m.
For questions or for more information, please contact Mercy Diabetes Education Center at 244-5603.