Do you sometimes forget if you have taken your medication? Perhaps you always prick yourself with the injection needle or have trouble seeing your blood glucose reading? Thankfully there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos on the market these days that can help you.

Tablet organisers

There are plenty of tablet organisers now available that allow you to prepare a weeks’ worth of tablets in one go. Then during the week you simply open the appropriate door on the container and take your medicine. You will know you have taken the medication if the container is empty. If you have trouble sorting the medications out yourself maybe a friend or family member can help you when they visit.

Two useful examples of tablet organisers are TabTime Tapestry which allows you to store up to four daily doses of medication for up to seven days. Some medication storage systems even have alarms which remind you to take your medication. An example is the TabTime Vibe which has up to five alarms. There are a few varieties and they range in price from $25 – $55 from diabetesshop.com.

An alternative is to get a blister pack made up by your pharmacy which organises all of your medications into days and times for you. This reduces the risk of missing doses or taking the wrong medications at the wrong times or wrong quantities.

Can’t remember if you have taken your insulin?

The InsulChek device clips onto your insulin pen and has a display which shows the time since your last injection. Timing starts at the completion of your injection. A green light flashes once an injection is completed. This device is available diabetesshop.com shop at $51.95. Another similar device is called Timesulin. This also counts the time since your last injection but is a replacement cap for your pen. This tool needs to be ordered online.

Accidentally pricking yourself with your insulin needle?

The BD Autoshield Duo helps to prevent needle stick injuries as the needle is not exposed at any time before or after the insulin injection. These needles may help to alleviate some of the fear commonly associated with giving insulin. The needles are not available on the NDSS and cost $115.95 for a box of 100. Available at diabetesshop.com.

Trouble seeing your blood glucose results?

A talking meter might be just what you need. Your blood glucose result is read out to you eliminating the fear of not reading the result correctly. It uses a small amount of blood and complies with current standards. The Sensocard talking meter costs $149 but comes with a lifetime warranty. The test strips are NDSS subsidised. Another talking meter is the CareSens N Voice which reads out the result and also has a large screen. There is a test strip ejector and it comes with alarms to help remind you when to monitor your blood glucose level. There is free software to allow you to send your data to a computer using a USB. It costs $99 at diabetesshop.com. The strips are available on the NDSS.

Many of these products are available at the Diabetes NSW & ACT online shop. If you are a member you will receive a 10% discount.

If you need further help with managing your diabetes you can call your local diabetes service or call the Diabetes NSW & ACT Helpline on 1300 342 238 and ask to speak with a diabetes educator.