Holiday Gifts for Person with Diabetes

At this time of year and before birthdays, people are always looking for gifts that people with diabetes will appreciate. Joslin Diabetes has a list and some suggestions that could be appropriate. I will say that the books listed in the blog should be considered with care as the American Diabetes Association is not known for low carbohydrate cookbooks, but some may appreciate them.

Books of any kind should be purchased with care because a book about type 1 diabetes may be very appropriate for a person with type 1 diabetes, but not appreciated by a person with type 2 diabetes. Another consideration should be about the subject matter covered in the book. Also, consider if the person is likes to read. A book that I received as a combination birthday and Christmas present is much appreciated – Joslin's Diabetes Deskbook, Updated Second Edition. Read my review here. You may read a little about it here and there are some other books as well. Yes, they are advertised for healthcare professionals, but sometimes these can benefit patients as well. I will be asking for the Educating Your Patient with Diabetes but only after I have a chance to see the book and preview the table of contents and look at a few chapters.

These books and many other excellent books may be found at Amazon and I will provide this link. There are several pages of diabetes books. Most are excellent to good, but there are a few I would not want in my library.

One suggestion from the Joslin blog is the possible purchase of an electronic food scale that calculates the carb counts of food. This may be on the expensive side for many people, but could be of value if you have the funds. One the less expensive side is items like a pedometer or resistance bands. Read the entire Joslin blog as ideas are presented to the end of the blog.

Even at this late date, do not forget that a printout of books can be given and specify the amount that you are willing to pay for the book or books. I have had people do this for me, I always enjoyed looking at the selection they were offering, and I made it a point always to choose the best book I was interested in and could stay below what they were willing to spend. One time, I did ask for one book over the amount offered, but I made sure that I paid the excess. The book had just been published and I had planned to buy it myself, but had hints about books so I had held off. He also wanted the book so I told him that we could split the cost, he would let me use it for six months until his birthday, and then he could own it.