Has anyone ever attended one of the Take Control of Your Diabetes conferences? When I watched the short video on their website it looked like it was catering to older diabetics (mainly grey haired individuals were interviewed). There is one coming to Indianapolis at the end of the month and I'm wondering if it would be worth attending. The site is http://tcoyd.org/homepage.php in case you are not familiar with it.
I attended one in Raleigh, NC about 3 years ago. While I am slightly gray haired, I think you are referring to the type 2 diabetics who are the majority in attendance. There were some children and teens, but most of the type 1s were young adult and there was a large representation from the local "pumpers" group, whom I sat with at the luncheon.
The event was co-sponsored by local endo and diabetes centers (we are between 2 major med schools, UNC an Duke). There were a number of very good presentations and Q&A sessions with specialists on issues such as management, diet and complications. To many to attend them all.
I plan to attend this year as it is returning to Raleigh.
I never heard of it but on of my parents older friends talk about something about a diabetic meeting... could be this...
I went to the one in Indy just after I was diagnosed as a type 1. I am older with a few grey hairs :). I only talked to a few type 1's there, but there were alot of pumpers there. A funny story: Since I was newly diagnosed and didn't know much about diabetes. At lunch time (which was a good meal), we all sat down and right before we ate, there was a moment of silence. I thought "maybe everyone is saying a prayer". No, everyone was "bowing their heads" to use their pumps!!
I saw the program for this year and they have symbols so you can choose which talks are geared toward type 1. I enjoyed it the first time and am planning on going again this year. I am not sure if I got so much out of it because I was newly diagnosed but the more information you have the better. I am new on the pump now so I plan to learn more about that.
There are many vendors there too, so if you have questions on pumps, meters etc. you can ask them.
I hope this helps. Maybe I will see you there....
thats funny lol
I attended one several years ago here in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Honestly, it's worth it! Dr. Edelman is the physician (also a type 1) who has initiated the whole TCOYD program and he's amazing. There are all kinds of vendors (and freebies) but most of all, there are excellent opportunities to listen and learn from experts in the field from your area. That's the awesome thing about it. The program pulls specialists from the fields of each of those areas that we usually need most -- diabetes (of course), podiatry, ophthalmology, nutrition, and just about any other specialist you might think of. When I participated in the event, the Dexcom was just coming out and it was exciting to learn from the vendor all about the "new" gadget. Also, it's a great place to learn about all kinds of other new technology and medical breakthroughs.
I strongly recommend going!