Contents:
- Medical Video: Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis by Michael Agus, MD for OPENPediatrics
- Guide to care for diabetic children in school
- Parents
- Health staff at school
- Teacher staff
Medical Video: Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis by Michael Agus, MD for OPENPediatrics
The treatment of diabetic children involves many parties. Especially if your child is already in school. You as a parent must continue to work together with homeroom teachers, principals, and health workers in the school (UKS staff) to develop appropriate treatment plans for your child. This is important so that they are prepared to face an emergency situation which can be experienced by the child at any time when the blood sugar is too high or low. Check out the full guide below.
Guide to care for diabetic children in school
Parents, teachers, and UKS officers have their respective roles in assisting children with diabetes while attending school
Parents
Children with type 1 diabetes generally need regular insulin injections so that their blood sugar levels can be stabilized. If your child is at home, maybe you don't need to worry about this. However, what if the child is in school?
The first thing parents must do to realize good diabetes care in school is to provide understanding to the child. Give as much understanding as possible to your child about diabetes that he experienced. Make sure you give a simple explanation so that it doesn't make him confused.
After providing understanding to children, the next step is to talk to the teacher and nursing staff at the school. Make meetings with teacher staff and health staff at your child's school. Tell them that your child has a serious medical condition that requires special attention. Explain in detail what diabetes is, symptoms that may appear, and first aid that can be done.
If necessary, provide a diabetes management plan book in schools that includes when children should check blood sugar, inject insulin, or eat. The diabetes management plan also contains the telephone number of parents and doctors who can be contacted by the school staff if the child experiences an emergency at any time.
Health staff at school
Ideally the school must have at least two nurses who are trained to handle diabetes. Both nurses have a responsibility to ensure that diabetic children get good service or care.
All health staff in schools must know who children need special care, what they need, and how to deal with the child's condition. Equally important, health staff at the school must also know what to do if at any time a child experiences an emergency.
This means that nurses must be responsive if there are diabetic children who may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) at school.
Teacher staff
Teachers must adapt teaching materials for children with diabetes, especially for sports lessons.
Sports can indeed maintain fitness and health for diabetics. However, not all sports are safe for diabetics. The reason is that there are several sports movements that might make diabetes worse.
In general, children with diabetes are not allowed to do extreme sports that have a high risk of injury, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, jumping rope, and so on. Children who are diabetic are also not allowed to exercise with high intensity, such as long distance running and lifting weights.
While some types of exercise are still relatively safe for children with diabetes, swimming, gymnastics and ping-pong.
If you are confused about what exercise is suitable and safe for children with diabetes, the teacher can ask the doctor or health staff. That way, children who have diabetes are not only fit but also can feel the benefits of exercise together with their friends at school.
