Diabetes educators: Who are they and what do they do?imgres

Likely every type 1 child and their families have seen an educator: at the hospital, for insulin management, to start on a pump, or for school paperwork.  But what do you really know about your diabetes educator and what are their backgrounds?

The Definition

According to the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE):

A certified diabetes educator (CDE) is a healthcare professional for diabetes or people at risk for diabetes with behavioral goals to achieve better clinical outcomes.  So what exactly does that mean? The idea is an educator helps a child with diabetes (or family members, in the case of children) with eating habits, exercise habits, insulin dosing, sick day management, and basically the day-to-day activities for a child that affects blood sugars and A1c levels.  A diabetes educator’s background is varied.  He or she may have a background as a registered nurse, a nutritionist, a pharmacist, a physician, or a mental health professional, to name a few.  He or she must take a certification exam to become an educator.  The basis for their education revolves around what the AADE calls the 7 self-care behaviors:  healthy eating, being active, monitoring and taking medications, problem-solving, healthy coping, and reducing risks.

Who Pays to See a CDE

Typically a person with diabetes can see an educator more often than the endocrinologist; however, this is based on insurance coverage.  Insurance coverage for an educator will differ between plans (so check your insurance plan out).  Usually you need a referral from the endocrinologist.  After the referral is made you can typically see the educator more often than the endocrinologist depending on the reason for seeing the educator.

How do you use your educator in your community?  Is he or she helpful or is the endocrinologist you see more helpful?  Have you seen your educator lately?

Here is the link to the American Association of Diabetes Educators with a full-page on what an educator is:

http://www.diabeteseducator.org/export/sites/aade/_resources/pdf/Definition_Diabetes_Educator.pdf

What Exactly Does a Certified Diabetes Educator Do?

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Type 1 Diabetes and Friends

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Friends can be a tricky thing with your type 1 child. Children want so badly to fit in with others, to have a group of people who accept them unconditionally. Type 1 diabetes can make your child have the impression of being unaccepted. Now not all children feel this way. Many children have a self-confidence that is made of iron and other children determine their confidence based on others. And let’s face it: other kids can be mean and use diabetes as a way to pick on and bully your type 1 child.  As parents we want to embrace our children, keep them safe, and have them feel confident no matter what and make all of their ills disappear. If we, as parents, could do that we would wipe out diabetes all together with our wants and desires.

Since we cannot wipe out diabetes, how do we help our children to be comfortable with this lifelong disease?  I believe it depends of your child’s age. With a middle, elementary school and younger child, parents need to enter the classroom each year and talk to the class about type 1 diabetes. Joslin has a great handout to guide you as a parent through this at http://www.joslin.org/info/classroom_presentation_on_diabetes_for_elementary_school_age_children.html   Beyond talking to the class, you can also enlist the help of the friend’s parents. They will need to know about your child anyways so why not have them help talk to their child about childhood diabetes? The friend’s parent may know how to talk to their child about specific for their child.

Then with an older child,  he should start to learn to talk to their friends about Type 1 Diabetes. This will help two-fold. First, it helps your type 1 child learn about their disease a bit more because he or she needs to talk about Type 1. Secondly, I strongly believe that encouraging your child to discuss this makes them more confident about themselves. When a child becomes more confident they are more likely to advocate for themselves. With advocation less childhood bullying could occur. Kids don’t tend to pick on kids that are confident in themselves. Self-advocation is a lifelong habit.

All T1D kids need to eventually be able to discuss how their body works, why they need insulin, to carry sugar, eat often, and sometimes feel cruddy because of their sugars. Teaching your child while they are with you by talking to the classroom and their friend’s parents about type 1 diabetes will enhance your child’s ability to make lifelong habits to talk and discuss about their diabetes.

Children with Diabetes Book Review

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It’s week Children with Diabetes feathered our book. The review of the book came highly recommended!!! Look at the website  Http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_06_ao1.htmimage

 

 

 

Book Interest

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When we started out writing our book as writers we knew how important a book about Type 1 diabetes and babysitting would be. We did  not plan for interest so fast.  Can you imagine our excitement when so many groups showed intersed quickly.

First, a few weeks ago I picked up a Colorado Springs Kids Magazine.  I started to look through it for things to do during October and there was an article about Type 1 Diabetes. And At the end of the article the physician mentioned our book. To be fair I work in the same large medical group with Dr. Garscadden, a pediatrician. What I did not know is he was going to mention our book in his article! And thank you Colorado Springs Health Partners and Dr. Garscadden for your support!Colorado_Springs_Kids_article Secondly,  JDRF reviews books twice a year for their online bookstore. They did contact us about a month ago to ask for a copy to review. So we sent on with fingers crossed! This week we found our book on their website! At JDRF’s bookstore you can find many helpful books for raising children with type 1 diabetes. Here is their website:  http://jdrf.org/life-with-tid/bookstore/

Sleepovers and Type 1 Diabetes

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Type 1 diabetic children and sleepovers

What was your childs first sleep over  as a type 1 diabetic? How did it go with the other parents? How did you prepare for the sleepover?

My sons first sleepover was stressful for me as a parent and a professional. He was going over to a wonderful families house to stay the night just 4 blocks away. I had trained the mother and she said she felt very comfortable helping him give shots and counting carbohydrates. I felt comfortable leaving him. But only after we had talked and discussed it thoroughly! He had only had diabetes for 8 months or so. So my husband and I had some time to ourselves for a while. Then dinner time came. The mother had called me upset because she just couldn’t give him his shot. The idea of putting a needle in another person upset her so much. This was something she did not expect to feel.  I went over and gave him his shot and then went the next morning to give him his shot. He did his own blood sugar testing. I was lucky because it was just down the street.

Once he had a pump he had an easier time with sleepovers. I still was very strict on where he could go. If he had a friend with physician parents they had an easier time keeping him overnight. They did get easier each time and as he became older.

I am curious about how this has worked for others. How did you teach families and parents? What materials did you use to teach these parents?

But mostly what is your story about the first sleepover and your type1 diabetic child?

Type 1 and Babysitting

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http://www.momseveryday.com/video?videoid=2674483

Here is our 2 minute video clip about our book! We were so lucky to have been able to go on and discuss Type 1 diabetes and babysitting. It was all very exciting! I am a behind the scenes kind of gal (so slightly nervous) and Dayna appeared so comfortable (at least on the outside!).

We want to thank KKTV and CSHP for setting up this interview.

Check it out. We talk very briefly about the book and how it evolved! Type 1 moms developing this babysitting tool.

Press Release

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 September 2013 | Colorado Springs, Colorado

Stacey Smith-Bradfield and Dayna Frei

Date Night possible again for parents of children with Type 1 diabetes

TYPE 1 DIABETES AND BABYSITTING:  A PARENT’S TOOLKIT

After the diagnosis of a child with Type 1 diabetes, the first weeks, even months, are filled with sleepless nights, insulin shots, blood sugar numbers, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.  From day one, parents are taught to prepare for the worst case scenario:  a plummeting blood sugar resulting in seizures or even unconsciousness.  Once a family starts to venture out of their safe, structured environment, simple pleasures such as play dates, sleepovers and even an evening out for parents seem like an insurmountable challenge.  As fellow parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, Stacey Smith-Bradfield and Dayna Frei have sought to ease the fears and frustrations of leaving children with a sitter, a nanny or even a friend.

“From a medical standpoint, you cannot gloss over the needs of a child with Type 1 diabetes.  In writing Type 1 Diabetes and Babysitting:  A Parent’s Workbook, we knew we had to cover so many critical topics,” says Smith-Bradfield, an Advanced Practice nurse.  Co-author Frei adds, “Not only is this a teaching tool for the parent, but we had to consider caregivers who might not have any knowledge of diabetes.”  The workbook walks a parent through teaching sitters about day-to-day care, as well as emergency situations, and includes places to completely tailor the pages to their child’s needs.  Additionally, Smith-Bradfield and Frei have added pull-out pages, with sections such as “Dinner and a Movie” and “Sleepovers” leaving the person in charge with the most important and likely needed information.

Julie Marmon, M.D. says, “This book provides parents a method to convey crucial data and not worry that important details have been glossed over. The step-by-step instructions and flow charts with areas to personalize, streamline care and remove fear from a situation which may be scary for sitters and family members. Great work!”

While there are hundreds of books on diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes and Babysitting: A Parent’s Toolkit is the first to simply teach the pertinent information, without overwhelming the teenager or adult caregiver.  For more information, please visit www.sciencehorse.com.

TYPE 1 DIABETES AND BABYSITTING:  A Parent’s Toolkit

By Stacey Smith-Bradfield and Dayna Frei

Science Horse Productions, LLC

P.O. Box 38879, Colorado Springs, CO  80937

ISBN:  978-0-615-86345-0

Price:  $15

CONTACT:      email sciencehorseproductions@gmail.com       phone 719.237.6631