Follow the Rainbow – People with cognitive disability

Description

Follow the Rainbow supports improved rotation of injection sites, compared to the older teaching analogies. People are usually asked to imagine four quadrants on their abdomen, or a clock face around their belly button, to guide the movement of their injections sites.  Over time, their injections often start to be moved side to side of their belly button. Lumps and bumps can develop if injecting insulin in the same place because it accelerates the production of  scar tissue.

Used as a teaching resource and site rotation chart, Follow the Rainbow is a new approach supporting nurses and people who self-inject to rotate their injection sites more effectively. It has been particularly effective for children and people with a intellectual disability or memory loss.

Benefits of the Follow the Rainbow include:

• Rainbow concept already familiar
• Simple concept to teach
• Colourful chart is simple to follow
• Site rotation across the whole abdomen
• A teaching resource and documentation chart
• Concept has a positive impact – smiles!

This version of the resource resource includes a teaching strategy to use with people with a disability to track where they have injected their abdomen, using small stickers they can purchase from discount shops. The stickers help track injection sites, while bringing some fun to injection time …  now that must be a good thing!

Designed by Australian Registered Nurse and Credentialled Diabetes Educator, Jayne Lehmann, the Follow the Rainbow provides a structured and fun approach to avoiding and preventing lipohypertrophy (lumps and bumps). This version is for one person with a cognitive disability to use and includes instructions on how to use it with them.