The HelpAround App Creates a Safety Net for People with Diabetes

For someone with diabetes, forgetting supplies such as a glucometer or insulin can be a life-threatening risk. HelpAround is a mobile app currently in development that is designed to help people locate and contact others with diabetes for help. The idea for HelpAround came from Robert Oringer, co-chairman and a board director of AMG Medical. He has an extensive background in evaluating diabetes technologies and is also the father of two sons with diabetes.

Mr. Oringer began brainstorming ways to utilize mobile technology to connect people with diabetes after taking his younger son to a football game and realizing that they had forgotten to bring a diabetes supply bag. He spent the rest of the game in a state of panic, wondering how many fans in the arena had diabetes and so could assist him in the case of an emergency. HelpAround aims to provide an instant answer to that scary “what-if” question before a situation becomes serious. HelpAround is in increasing demand among healthcare organizations looking to provide their patients with location-based safety and peer support. The company has stated that the platform is still in development and will remain free at least through 2014. After the popularity of the sharing economy (where people share resources with others) such as AirBnB and Lyft, it’s about time that this innovation has moved into the healthcare and diabetes arena. For more information, please read A Sweet Life’s product review and visit the HelpAround website. –AR/NL