Tip of the week: Utilizing technology, creating community, and prep for the holiday season

In today’s day and age, technology can be a blessing and a curse. It seems like while our phones never stop beeping, we can not live without them. We ask the questions: How can technology help those within the PWS community? How can technology help to reinforce the concept of community across multiple platforms – even if people are in two different time zones, or speak different languages?

There are so many available resources for parents, guardians, and professionals, ranging from online State Association websites such as PWSA New England, to national and international sites such as PWSA (USA). Social media resources, including platforms such as Facebook, enable specific groups of parents to join and share information. Some of these are private, some are public. In addition to these technology resources, we are also in an age of free, readily-available access to videos and podcasts. Latham Centers created the LivingHealthy Podcast: PWS University audio podcast specifically with this in mind. This podcast explores the changing landscape of the special needs field with a focus on Prader-Willi syndrome.

We have published five podcasts to date, including an introduction; two student interviews; and earlier this week, we posted one on maintaining optimism in our world of PWS. Today’s podcast available here is particularly relevant to the season: “Preparing for the Holidays.” We encourage you to follow the Latham Centers podcast —  you can download, listen without downloading, “like”, and share.

We hope that you enjoy listening to these podcasts as much as we enjoy producing them. We look forward to hearing your insights and suggestions at livinghealthypodcast@lathamcenters.org so we can focus on topics relevant to you and your life with someone who is diagnosed with PWS.

Patrice Carroll is Latham Centers’ world-renowned Prader-Willi syndrome specialist. She works with Latham’s residents with PWS, their families, and consultants, continuously learning and teaching about PWS best practices. Do you have questions for our PWS specialist? Submit your “tip” topics or general questions to TipTopics@LathamCenters.org.