CIM at the IDF’s World Diabetes Congress 2013

We are excited to announce Connected in Motion’s contributions to the International Diabetes Federation’s World Diabetes Congress of 2013! Executive Director, Jen Hanson, along with CIM’s Community Manager, Virtue Bajurny, will join the world’s leading experts in diabetes in Melbourne, Australia in December, 2013 and contribute both oral and poster presentations to the congress’ Living with Diabetes stream.

Jen Hanson has a background in kinesiology and experiential education. She will be sharing with the congress delegates an oral presentation entitled ‘The power of community: Creating a
diabetes slipstream.’ The presentation will share with the international diabetes community the very philosophy upon which CIM is founded. The presentation focuses on the belief that together, as a group, individuals with Type 1 diabetes can move faster, further, and stronger than they ever could
on their own. They can take turns leading and enjoy the comforts of riding along in each other’s ‘Slipstream.’ Through outdoor adventure and physical activity, they can push themselves to step out of their comfort zones and realize their full potential as individuals and as Type 1s – All the while having the support of a tremendous community to help them along the way.

Also being shared at the congress is CIM’s poster presentation: ‘Step to the edge: Influencing diabetes self-management through outdoor adventure and physical activity pursuits.’ The poster investigates CIM’s outdoor adventure programming and the outcomes it has had for
individuals living with Type 1 diabetes in Canada. Outdoor adventure programming provides participants with a safe and supportive environment to step to the edge of their comfort zones and to push themselves to into a space socially, physically, and cognitively where they are able to achieve more than they had previously thought possible. This influences the self-management
behaviours of participants and results in a greater quality of life.

Virtue Bajurny works as CIM’s Community Manager, is a social worker, and an expert on the psychosocial influences of online engagement for individuals with Type 1 diabetes. Virtue will be
presenting the findings of her research, entitled ‘Alone/Together: Blogging Diabetes’, which explores the lived experience of people living with diabetes through their online writings.
The conclusions of her research question the traditional approach of treating people with diabetes solely on an individual basis. Recommendations for greater resources dedicated to connections and
community (both online and offline) for people living with diabetes are presented.

In addition, CIM will have two abstracts published as part of the Congress: An assessment of CIM’s progress over the past five years, including recommendations for replicating the successes and avoiding the challenges the CIM community has faced, entitled ‘An examination of outdoor experiential diabetes education philosophy: Five years of community building’; and an overview of the impacts that patient-led initiatives can have on health and well-being entitled ‘Patient-Led Initiatives: Being the change we want to see.’

The ‘Internet, Social Media, and Community’ presentation sessions happen Wednesday, December 4, 2013 in Rm 208 of the Melbourne Convention Centre. If you’re attending World Diabetes Congress we would love to have you stop by and say hi!