SD 'Language Challenge' - Number 7!

Here's a reminder of what the SD Language Challenge is all about

Welcoming number 7 in our month of 'language challenges' - to get us all talking more about the everyday ways we can transform the diabetes conversation! Feel free to take any or all the challenges, whatever seems most relevant to you :)

Challenge Number 7.  Word Change Weekend! (and beyond)

Our penultimate challenge is to peruse this list, made up of commonly used words and phrases, many featured in the 'Language Matters' document and other publications.  Then, see if you can consider alternatives that are more positive, encouraging, non-judgemental or destigmatising, which you personally could feel comfortable using more often?  Maybe there are other words or phrases that you might hear or use that could be adapted too?

Here's the list (download as PDF here):

Disease; cheating; diet; blood tests; regimen; sufferer/suffers; exercise; good/poor control; (un)co-operative; adherent; compliant; subject; medication failure; diabetic; normal; patient; complications; (un)motivated; refusal; denial; must/should/ought to; stable/stabilised

If you've been following the challenges so far, you may have seen that they are all geared to making a small change or raise in awareness of how and where we speak about diabetes and trying to make it more personal and more positive.  This challenge focusses on individual words and phrases that are commonly used and are easy to 'tweak', to bring big results.  If you took Challenge 2, you may have already made a start on word or phrase changes. This challenge  gives you the chance to expand your 'new word repertoire' - or simply make a start here here and now, if this is your first challenge :)

Challenge 7 and its reflections awaits!

Download 'Language Matters' here (opens PDF)

We really hope you'll share your thoughts and activities with this challenge (and all of them) via Facebook, Twitter or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Where relevant, we'll be using #sdlangmatters and #languagematters

If you're not on social media and would prefer us to email you the challenges, let us know by dropping us a line on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Good Luck! can't wait to hear your thoughts :)