Talking Glucose MeterNot every talking glucose meter will meet your needs as a person with limited sight. There are many factors to consider when buying one. Although many of these factors are similar to the factors to consider when purchasing a normal glucose monitor, some are unique to voice meters. These are reviewed below. Level of Accessibility of Talking MeterMany talking meters require some vision or require the assistance of a sighted person to aid with accessing memory or programming date, time or strip code. Some voice monitors might not give voice alerts for low battery or error messages. Clearly, not every talking glucose meter allows you to access all features through voice instructions. Some meters with limited talking ability just voice out "apply blood to test strip" and then speak out the glucose result. This may be appropriate for some people with limited sight, but not for most people with more severely limited vision.If you have moderate or severely limited vision you may require that all programming on the blood sugar monitor be accessible through voice instructions. Ask about these features before you make your purchase. Don't assume that because the meter talks, the device will suit your vision and dexterity needs. Of note, the Prodigy meter listed below has been marketed as totally accessible. However, competitor products can change. Do not let this mention of mine skew your decision. Just ask and verify if the memory, coding, programming are fully accessible through voice instructions. You may wish to contact your local institute for the blind and ask if you can speak to others who use voice glucose meters. You can learn their experiences with the brands they are using. This may help you with your choice. Repeating Voice ResultsSome talking blood sugar monitors only voice the glucose reading once. And they may not make it easy to access the memory. It is easier if the meter repeats the results outloud more than once. We can all sneeze at an inconvenient moment, right?Instructions on UseCheck into how the instructions for use are provided. You might require a meter that offers instructions in braille, large sized font, pdf that you can resize yourself or DVD with voice-overs.Customer ServiceDoes the company offer a 1-800 or similar customer service support line to aid you through using or setting up the talking glucose monitor? This is especially important if you do not have the assitance of a sighted person to help with interpretting any written instructions.Local or Online PurchasesMany talking blood sugar monitors are located online but not in retail stores. You may be required to buy one online however, how will you regularly order strips? Online purchases can be quick to receive if you live in the same country as the online store. However, will the order take a long time due to any customs concerns if you are outside of that country (eg. you live in Canada and you are puchase a talking meter from the U.S). Can your local pharmacy order the talking meter and the strips in? Will they then charge you a dispensing fee for strips (likely) making the ongoing costs greater than online purchases (which usually charge no dispensing fee but may charge shipping)?Talking Meter vs Talking Device Added to MeterMost talking blood glucose meters now-a-days are all-in-one units. The speaker is built into the glucose monitor. However, a few products might still have "normal" meters that attach to a secondary device to allow it to speak. This can work fine (eg. Accu-chek Voicemate), but if this is not what you are looking for, be sure to clarify your purchase is the meter and speakers all-in-one device.Language SpokenSome talking glucose meters can be programmed in languages other than English. Spanish is the most common alternate language. Again, ask. And ask if that programming can be done by yourself with your vision restrictions or is required to be done by a fully sighted person. If you are purchasing the monitor at a pharmacy or an institute for the blind, the staff may be able to change the language preference in the meter before you take it home.Talking Blood Glucose Meters Available
Leaving Talking Glucose Meter to go to Blood Glucose Meters.
|
