If your child suffers from a chronic condition, such as diabetes, the stress increases, both for him and for his parents. Do you think you will get help at school if needed? To overcome doubts and alleviate your fears, of course, it is best to have a plan and act. In this article, you will benefit from some tips. These are:
- Training starts at home because people need to first monitor their diet, medications, and level of exercise to lead a healthy life. With their help, your blood glucose level will be much more controlled. With them, you will be physically prepared to better cope with the changes that await you when you enter or return to school. Depending on your age and level of understanding, explain what diabetes is, the medications you take and why you need them, the foods you should eat outside the home, which you should avoid identifying the body signals that something it is not okay so you can ask for help from your teacher or administrative staff.
- A mandatory vision. Try as much as possible to make an appointment with the school administration staff to let them know that your child has diabetes, as well as their specific diet and medication needs. Find out about the facilities of the school where your child is studying: an infirmary with trained staff in case of any type of medical emergency for students, for example, or the type of food they serve at school. Try not to be ashamed to ask questions or impose certain conditions on your child.
- Develop a diabetes control plan. With the help of your child’s doctor, develop a written care plan that includes in detail the type of medication you need, the doses, how to administer it, who should do it (teacher, nurse, or administrative staff, especially if the child is very young and needs help with medication). It should include measures to be taken if glucose levels rise or fall while the child is at school, contact numbers of people who should be called in an emergency, as well as a meal and snack plan. Everyone involved (teachers, nurses, administrative staff, etc.) should receive a copy of this plan. If your child is the right age, they should know the existence and details of the plan (who to contact when they are feeling sick or in need of medication, for example).
- Supervise the food. As you already know from other articles, food plays a very important role in this condition, so try to start the day with a good breakfast so that you feel and perform well at school. If your child brings their own lunch and snacks, you will have better control over what they eat during school. Your child should try as much as possible not to exchange food with other children. The child’s package should contain only healthy foods that include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats such as turkey and low-fat cheeses, for example, and as a snack: fresh fruits, seeds, and nuts. Besides all these foods, raisins are as good as the others.
- Establish a schedule and stimulate exercise. This includes meal routines, medication, measuring glucose levels, homework after school, physical activity, and, most importantly, sleeping (ideally) at the same time each day to establish a pattern. It is also vital that this program includes about 60 minutes of physical activity, either at school through sports or already back home. Limit time on any screen, be it a computer or TV.
- Are you aware of vaccinations? As you already know, they are very important for your child’s health. They must be done at the right age.