New issue of 'Balance'

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Casper said:
If I can just stick my two penn'orth in - I do feel Balance magazine is incredibly depressing, you must do this, that or the other if you want to survive - or: look at the amazing things you can achieve with diabetes - the shark wrestling whilst potholing in the Atlantic spring to mind. did anyone read that article? No? Must've just been me.

Also seems targeted at the type 2s - no offence meant, I know ther are far more of you!

And I was 39 and a half when diagnosed!!

Happy New Year to all!!!
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Caspar, you're right - I was just reading the 'statistics' spread about all the dire things that await at least half of us😱 But the 'article completely fails to elaborate on what kind of control the people getting these complications had - we know that getting better HbA1c reduces risk, but this doesn't give any indication of the state the subjects were in, how long diagnosed, how well educated they were about their diabetes etc. etc. etc.

Because this kind of detail is lacking, you are simply presented with the fact that you've got virtually no chance, which personally I don't find very encouraging.

Cheers Balance, Happy New Year!🙄
 
Northerner said:
Caspar, you're right - I was just reading the 'statistics' spread about all the dire things that await at least half of us😱 But the 'article completely fails to elaborate on what kind of control the people getting these complications had - we know that getting better HbA1c reduces risk, but this doesn't give any indication of the state the subjects were in, how long diagnosed, how well educated they were about their diabetes etc. etc. etc.

Because this kind of detail is lacking, you are simply presented with the fact that you've got virtually no chance, which personally I don't find very encouraging.

Cheers Balance, Happy New Year!🙄
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Goes back to an earlier comment I made, how many of the people writing for this publication are diabetic? Indeed, how many people working for DUK are diabetic.

There is a clear lack of understanding about the condition they represent.
 
Einstein said:
Goes back to an earlier comment I made, how many of the people writing for this publication are diabetic? Indeed, how many people working for DUK are diabetic.

There is a clear lack of understanding about the condition they represent.
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could we find out? send them a questionarre?
 
Northerner said:
I think that's the thing Mand - we all want them to do well, which is why we are so disappointed. They must be one of the first places EVERYONE in this country goes to when diagnosed. Also, I wonder how many newly-diagnosed Type 1's are told about JDRF? I wasn't, and even when I first started looking around the web I assumed it was for children only - shame the name is misleading these days. I'd love to know the statistics for numbers of people diagnosed Type 1 in adulthood as opposed to childhood - I suspect it is actually more common in adults, and given that there are Type 1s that are 20 years older than (even!) me, shouldn't the 'Juvenile' be dropped? FGS, I was 49!😱
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We didn't find out about JDRF until i did some googling and found out about the KIDSAC otherwise we would have been none the wiser. Talking to other parents as well, the majority have not heard of them before and automatically go to DUK.

When i went to a Thank you event for volunteers from DUK i probably was one of the youngest people there (i'm 31) I was in a room full of type 2s aged 65+. It soon became apparent who Balance is aimed at.

DUK did do a talk at this event and they did concentrate on research and what they are spending money on, but i think they should make this more widely known, like JDRF do - have a conference explaining about research and what they are doing - like the one in Cambridge a while back.

If i ever fundraise it's JDRF all the way....🙂
 
Becca said:
When i went to a Thank you event for volunteers from DUK i probably was one of the youngest people there (i'm 31) I was in a room full of type 2s aged 65+. It soon became apparent who Balance is aimed at.

/QUOTE]

I've found that too. I've tried to volunteer for DUK on a number of occasions and the times when I've actually had a response (often just heard nothing) I've been the youngest there by someway (I'm 26) and never felt particularly welcomed by duk. I find it extremely irritating as my job is working with charity volunteers (not duk I hasten to add!) and that really isn't the way to work, particularly if you've got such a non- diverse volunteer base.

I was at a meeting a few months back with someone very senior at duk who asked me a lot of questions about how I'd change things, I also took the opportunity to give some feedback about Balance. Unsurprisingly nothing seems to have changed though. Should have another meeting in a few months, I'll work on it again....
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The thing is, even though I'm 51 I feel that it's aimed at people far older than me! Goodness knows how those of you in their 20's and 30's feel, and it's certainly no good for kids (Balance, I mean). I went searching their site to find out about that mag for kids that Mand spoke about. It mentions it, and it looks like there's a link if you click on it but there isn't. Typical!

I feel a campaign coming on - I wonder if we can change their attitudes by the end of 2010?
 
Einstein said:
There is a clear lack of understanding about the condition they represent.
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Does remind me, for a few days this summer they had a roadshow outside the forum in Norwich. While my housemates were in the forum a man collapsed in there, not sure how but the people who worked there knew he was diabetic. While waiting for the ambulance one of my housemates went out to the duk stand to see if they could help/had any advice, they just said they couldn't help and he'd have to wait for an ambulance. Now, I appeciate there are all sorts of liability issues if they got involved but a bit of concern or a few suggestions would have been nice. I know if I'd been a bystander I'd have at least seen if there was anything I could have done to help.
 
Cynically, i do think that:
a)they get money from government to highlight the obesity timebomb etc ...
b)with more type 2s on their readership (i'm presuming here) they aim at them
and c) i bet a lot of their funds come from older people supporting them so i guess DUK think if it aint broken don't fix it!

Trouble is, with social networking now more and more people get disgruntled and are able to share and do something about it. I was able to set up the Change4life campaign on facebook and get help and support from so many people, and through letter writing to government, newspapers and MPs it took just 4 days for the government to admit they had it wrong. People power!! yay! 🙂
 
It's a general dissatisfaction with Balance

I'm very interested to read the appraisals of Balance to the effect that (a) it seems to be aimed at Type 2s and (b) at older people.

I'm a Type 2 and, oddly, I always close up each issue thinking, There's nothing in there for me - it's probably relevant to Type 1s. (The Autumn 2009 edition of Research Matters brought forth from me the same reaction.)

Moreover, more than once have I thought (particuarly when reading articles about life-style that emphasise gym-visits or distance running) that's not aimed at my age group - I can't (verging on 70!) possibly go in for that type of strenuous work-out.

I suspect that what is happening in our minds is this: that whether we are Type 1 or 2, young or very much into the senior citizen category, we all alike can find nothing in Balance that is of immediate relevance, encouragement or life-affirmation.

Thus, though we come at it from different angles, our disappointment and dismay is uniform.
 
Jean said:
...I suspect that what is happening in our minds is this: that whether we are Type 1 or 2, young or very much into the senior citizen category, we all alike can find nothing in Balance that is of immediate relevance, encouragement or life-affirmation.

Thus, though we come at it from different angles, our disappointment and dismay is uniform.
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They have achieved a balance! We are all equally disappointed! Happy New Year Jean🙂
 
Your play on words made me chuckle, Northerner!

All the very best to everyone for the New Year.
 
Einstein said:
Goes back to an earlier comment I made, how many of the people writing for this publication are diabetic? Indeed, how many people working for DUK are diabetic.

There is a clear lack of understanding about the condition they represent.
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Simon O'Neill, head of care (or something, his title keeps changing) at Diabetes UK, developed type 1 diabetes as a young adult, and later went to work for DUK. See http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=407 for details of an early piece of his writing that really helped me.

Personally, I think it's extremely difficult for a single body to represent the needs of such a wide range of people, with effectively 2 very different conditions (with far more T2 than T1), plus some "minor" conditions (not that they're minor to the peole with them) eg LADA, MODY, gestational diabetes etc. Interesting that type 1 diabetes has other organisations eg JDRF, IDDT, but I haven't heard of a type 2 diabetes only organisation - is there one?
 
I forgot to say in my earlier post that if you look on page 75 (?) of this issue of Balance it advertises the mag (the one they won't send to us anymore - 'on the level') and invites you to contact them to join the mailing list for it!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest!
 
After pondering for a while when my DUK renewal came up, I renewed feeling that any research into Diabetes must help us somewhere along the line. Having received the latest "Balance" I wish I hadn't bothered to be honest. The "complications" numbers made me feel really down - on the lines of "at my age, what's the use of trying?" which I know is silly and self-defeating.

The only article I did enjoy was The Black Sheep as it lined up with many of my own feelings about Diabetes- I don't want to climb Everest, just get my life back under control. Luckily this Forum gives support at the good and bad times.

I didn't like the glaringly intrusive colours on many of the pages - they didn't help to retain my attention at all.

It seems I'm in good company (or bad if you read how we've "sinned" over the festive season!).

Wishing you all a better 2010.......................
 
Thanks NiVZ! Very kind of you! I will take a look. 🙂🙂
 
As well as being better laid out, all of "On the Level" is on the web, instead of just 3 articles per issue of "Balance".
 
Einstein said:
How is it the kids get the nicely designed stuff and we end up with the 6 year olds attempt a publishing, erm, Balance that's it?
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Can't remember the full quote but it did contain the words Lunatic and Asylum. 🙂
 
Old Holborn said:
Can't remember the full quote but it did contain the words Lunatic and Asylum. 🙂
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'Excessive drinking session' and brewery comes to mind too.
 
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