Managing Diabetes in Young People

The teenage years can be a difficult time for young people. When living with diabetes, this time can be even harder.

When your child has diabetes, it’s important to instill good self-management behaviour, so they are well-equipped to manage their condition in the future.

Practising healthy habits in the household is a great place to start, like cooking healthy meals as a family and getting plenty of exercise. The goal is to not only teach your children how to properly self-manage but to actually allow them to do it for themselves. 

Here are five ways to help your child better manage their diabetes:

Educate yourself and learn together.

As your child grows, their diabetes will change. It’s important for you to educate yourself about what type of diabetes your child has, and how best to manage it. Self-care is a form of self-love, instilling a sense of pride when it comes to managing their diabetes is key. 

Keep them safe at school.

Inform your child’s teachers and school of their condition. This way, medication, and other emergency supplies are ready and available should they need it. Send your child off to school with healthy food and a diabetes kit containing everything they’ll need to manage diabetes throughout the day properly. This kit should include things like testing supplies, low blood sugar supplies, extra supplies, and an emergency contact list.

Make healthy living a priority.

Living a healthy lifestyle is about learning to turn healthy choices into long-term habits. Eating right, exercising often, getting enough restful sleep, and maintaining good mental health are the main pillars of supporting your child’s well-being. Lead by example and show your kids healthy habits are the key to lifelong health. 

Let them do it themselves.

You can guide your child to make the right decisions, but you’ll have to eventually let go and trust them to do it themselves. The goal of teaching them the skills to manage their diabetes is so that they can do it without you in the future. 

Get support from a diabetes educator.

Managing diabetes is so much easier when you have the right support. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. Working with a diabetes educator can help you and your child learn how to best manage their diabetes, and also tackle any challenges that may arise. 

Parenting a child with diabetes comes with its own specific challenges, but you don’t have to do it alone. To get the help and support you need, call 702-9310.