Show Me How to Live

10/22/08 General

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand,” is a Chinese proverb.

Modeling behavior is one of the most powerful ways humans learn. Children can manage difficult tasks simply by mimicking what they have seen an adult repeatedly do. Adults, by the same token, learn from watching each other. Consider the workplace, and how one is “shown the ropes.” The expectation is that the individual will pick up new tasks and routines by modeling what the mentor has done. The same strategy should be applied for those newly diagnosed with diabetes.

I was the only child at my school who had diabetes. I had to learn the ins and outs of diabetes care from doctor visits and my mother’s advice. I had no one to watch; no one to bounce ideas off; no one to model. A mentor would have been exceedingly helpful.

This was underscored when I began pump therapy. I was out of my element despite my success with everything else related to my diabetes care. I needed someone to demonstrate how to use the machine. Fortunately, the manufacturer of my initial pump employed local individuals who used the insulin pump to train new pump users. A construction worker came to my house wearing his pump on his hip and a smile on his face to train me how to use my pump.

I modeled the training to a “T” and since then have had opportunities to demonstrate pump usage for children and adults. Regardless of age, all express the same absorptive quality. They suck up every nuance of the teaching because it is real and someone is finally showing them how.

Perhaps a program that would pair people who have experienced diabetes care with people who have been newly diagnosed would be a worthwhile venture. There is so much about living with diabetes that cannot be gleaned from a pamphlet, textbook, or Web site. Modeling the behavior of an experienced expert could be the most effective way of setting people newly diagnosed with diabetes on the right path.

Eric Devine, 30, has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 12. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters where he works as a high school English teacher. Devine is an avid writer and is currently seeking publication of two Young Adult novel manuscripts.