Episode 20: Words Matter in Diabetes

In this episode Corinna Cornejo and guest co-host Stephen Shaul (you may know his blog happy-medium.net or his Diabetes by the Numbers podcast) discuss how the words we use have an impact on the lives of people living with diabetes.

Emily Coles interviewed Jane K. Dickinson, a nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator, who has been living with type 1 diabetes for 40 years. In 1993 Jane gave her first talk on the importance of considering language when working with people who have diabetes, and she has been interested in the impact that words have on our diabetes experiences ever since. Jane oversees the (online) Master of Science in Diabetes Education and Management Program at Teachers College Columbia University (www.tc.edu/diabetes) and incorporates discussions on using patient-centered and strengths-based language into each of the courses she teaches. Jane also provides diabetes education to patients, families, and health care professionals in northwest Colorado.

In March 2015 Jane began researching the effect of words on diabetes. In this live interview Jane will share the results of the focus groups she conducted, including the virtual focus group that was held here on tudiabetes. Jane’s own experience with words and diabetes, as well as her research  findings, have prepared her to work with diabetes professionals and patients alike. Jane’s goal is to help people adopt more empowering words when speaking or writing about diabetes and those who live with it.

Everybody Talks Diabetes Podcast Corinna Cornejo