Caring for Children

A diagnosis of diabetes should not diminish your child’s quality of life. You and your child will have additional responsibilities over the years, but the added self-discipline may work in your child's favor.

As a parent of an infant or toddler newly diagnosed with diabetes, your child’s diagnosis may affect you much more than it does your child. After all, your child is fully dependent upon you for all care, not just diabetes treatments. Even as your child begins walking and talking, diabetes will be a very small part of their world. Children live in the moment. The blood sugar test or injection that was so upsetting this morning has long since been forgotten.

For your own peace of mind, as well as your child's health, take advantage of every possible opportunity to educate yourself. Get involved in a local support group, where you can get to know other families facing the exact same issues every day. Be sure to take care of yourself. Diabetes is a day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour responsibility—if you're not careful, you can easily tire yourself out.

Talking With Your Child

Only you will know how much information to provide your child and when they will be ready to understand more. For a while, it may be enough for them to know that they have too much sugar in their blood and need insulin to let it out.

Still, it is a good idea to start talking about diabetes and your feelings early. Focus on the facts about blood sugar results and injections—even babies are attuned to the way we say things, which can reveal a lot more than the actual words we use.

Tips for Caring for Young Children

• Listen closely to your child. Are there things he or she doesn't quite understand?
• Choose words carefully. Do not call blood sugars or blood sugar readings "good" or "bad,"; instead use “high,” “low,” and “normal.”
• Congratulate your child on being courageous when the time comes to test or inject.
• Make testing and injecting times warm and loving. A cuddle after a blood sugar test can go a long way.
• Let the child participate by choosing a finger for testing, or rubbing the spot after testing.
• Rotate injection sites regularly. Ideally, you should not inject the same site more than once every 30 days.
• Get everything ready before the test. Make the process quick and calm. The less upset you get about it, the less upset your child will be, too.
• Work with your healthcare professional to outline an eating, testing, and medication plan tailored to your child.

Caring for Teens

It is no secret that being a teenager is difficult. Adding the pressure of diabetes self-care on the shoulders of teen does not make it easier. This is an important time for the whole family—your teen is eager to achieve independence, getting ready for college or the adult world. But they still need your guidance and support.

It is important to understand that this condition can affect anyone at any age. Having diabetes does mean that you and your child will have additional responsibilities over the years, but that does not and should not diminish your child's quality of life. In fact, the added self-discipline may work in your child's favor.

Even though diabetes can be managed, it is a disease with potentially harmful immediate and long-term complications. It is important that your teen understands that positive steps today may help make a significant difference in their health as they get older. This can be tough for teenagers to relate to—they may feel like they are living within strict limits and can not see the benefit.

To assure that your child adopts the best possible self-care practices, take advantage of opportunities to educate the whole family. Encourage your teen to get involved with other people with diabetes his or her own age—and find a parents' group for yourself.

Talking With Your Teen

This is an especially sensitive time—the teen years are a roller-coaster ride. You cannot begin to guess what they are thinking, and you cannot expect them to know what is on your mind, so make sure you take every opportunity to talk openly about what is going on in their lives.

This is also the time to start talking to your son or daughter like an adult. You cannot just tell them what to do anymore—you have to negotiate rules and involve them in decisions about their self-care.

Tips for Caring for Teens

• Choose words carefully. Do not call blood sugars or blood sugar readings "good" or "bad,"; instead use “high,” “low,” and “normal.”
• When blood sugar is high, decide how to address it. Punishment is not appropriate, and may lead to them not telling the truth next time. If high blood sugar is the result of overeating, praise your teen for being honest about it and create a plan for avoiding the problem in the future.
• Do not make everything about diabetes. Remember to ask, "How was school today?" or "How was practice?"—not just "How was your blood sugar today?"
• Never let your child use diabetes as an excuse. Explain that if they try to use diabetes as a reason for acting out, it can just as easily be used as a reason to prevent them from doing things they want to do.
• Share your concerns about long-term complications, but do not use them as scare tactics. This can backfire—your son or daughter may begin to believe that thereit is no use in taking care of their diabetes.
• Let your teen talk privately with their health care professional. Not only will they be able to speak more candidly about issues on their minds, but taking direction directly from the healthcare professional can take some of the pressure off of you.
• Most important, consistent limits and discipline are essential for your teen. Sometimes parents feel sorry for a son or daughter with diabetes, and try to make up for it by being lenient in other areas. In the long run, this will not help—and may actually make it harder for your teenager to cope in the real world.

Caring for Adults

Taking responsibility for the care of a parent, spouse or friend is a tremendously generous decision—one that more and more people are faced with each year. Care giving relationships both rewarding and stressful as you learn how to help someone manage diabetes, adapt to other medical conditions and still find time for your own needs. As caregiver, an already busy schedule has become even busier. You cannot do everything, but you want to feel good about doing your best.

You can start with a written plan. Begin by talking to a healthcare professional about the things the person you are caring for will need. Think about everything, from help with grocery shopping and transportation to special equipment, administering medication and daily personal care. Then determine who will be responsible for providing these things—professionals, you, the caregiver, or willing family and friends.

Even though diabetes can be managed, people often feel exhausted by the need to continually watch what they eat, prick their fingertips for blood tests and get enough physical activity. As a person gets older, these demands can be even harder to keep up with, especially if they are adjusting to other medical complications, such as low vision, decreased mobility or digestive problems.

Remember that it may be difficult for a person who is getting older to accept the fact that he or she may need help. No one wants to feel like they losing independence. Do your best to continue talking to your parent or spouse as a mature adult, and keep them as involved as possible in decisions about their self-care. The more self-reliant they remain, the more energy you will have left over for you.

Tips for Caring for Adults

• It may be hard for some people to accept that they can no longer fully care for themselves. Work with the person you are caring for to determine just how much her or she is still able to do. Use your imagination, and you will come up with ways to help the person you are caring for feel less dependent on you.
• Initiate conversation. Even when you feel like there is nothing to talk about, comment on what is outside the window or events in the news today. Talking helps keep people sharp and socially involved.
• Make the house more fall proof. Falls can be emotionally devastating, making a person feel helpless and afraid. Help the person get his or her vision and hearing checked regularly, and remove hazards from walkways.
• Create a safer bathroom by using a nonskid mat in the shower or a shower chair. Make sure all towel bars are tightly secured, and consider a raised toilet seat if the person has trouble getting up from chairs.
• Encourage your loved one to stay involved in community groups and follow through on things that interest them. Physical activity, such as walking or gardening, is great for keeping a person's mind and body healthy.
• Get involved with a caregiver support group—either specific to diabetes caregivers or a general group. Many people have faced similar challenges, and they will have good advice for you.
• Set time aside for yourself. You still need and deserve time to pursue your own interests and goals. Care giving does not mean you have to put your life on hold.
• Take a close look at yourself. If you are losing sleep, showing signs of depression, feeling angry all the time or neglecting your responsibilities, then the care giving relationship is not working. Do not feel guilty. Make necessary changes or consider another solution.