Diabetes in a serious medical condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Appropriate health care for children and youth in DCS custody who have diabetes is critical. In this training you will learn about the different types of diabetes and your role in ensuring the proper management of the disease. This training is appropriate for foster parents and staff who work with children and youth who have diabetes.

1. Working with Children who have
Diabetes

2. 3 Main types of Diabetes:
• Type 1: when the body does not produce enough
insulin or produces no insulin.
• Type 2: when cells do not respond properly to the
insulin the pancreas produces.
• Gestational Diabetes: a form of diabetes that affects
pregnant women.

3. Signs and symptoms of diabetes
• Being very thirsty.
• Urinating a lot—often at night.
• Having blurry vision from time-to-time.
• Feeling very tired much of the time.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Having very dry skin.
• Having sores that are slow to heal.
• Getting more infections than usual.
• Losing feeling or getting a tingling feeling in the feet.

4. Children & Diabetes
• Most children with
diabetes have type 1.
• Everyone who has type
1 diabetes needs
insulin given by
injections or an insulin
pump

5. Insulin Injections
If injections are
missed or are
delayed, a life-
threatening condition
can result from very
high blood sugar and
lack of insulin.

6. High Blood Sugar
• For most people, the
goal blood sugar before
meals is between 80-
130 mg/dl.
• The goal blood sugar for
1-2 hours after meals is
less than 180 mg/dl

7. What makes blood sugar rise?
• Eating too much food
• Being less active than usual
• Taking too little diabetes medicine
• Having an infection or illness, such as a
cold or the flu
• Experiencing stress
• Changing hormone levels

8. Low Blood Sugar
In general, a blood sugar reading lower than 70
mg/dl is too low.

9. What makes blood sugar fall?
• Eating less food or fewer carbs than usual.
• Missing a meal or snack.
• Drinking alcoholic beverages, especially on an
empty stomach.
• Being more active
than usual.

10. When a child/youth enters custody with diabetes:
• Immediately notify the DCS Regional nurse and Placement staff
• Within 24 hours contact the youth’s endocrinology clinic & request updated
individual medical plan.
• If the child changes schools, provide
a copy of the individual medical plan
to the child’s new school.
• Unless there is a no contact order,
ensure the parents are aware of &
participate in all endocrinology

11. Read the statement, then pick Myth or Fact

12. Myth or Fact?
Diabetes is a serious disease
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html
MYTH FACT

13. FACT
FACT: Diabetes causes
more deaths per year than
cancer and AIDS
Having diabetes nearly
your chance of having a
attack. The good news is
diabetes control can
risks for diabetes
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html

14. Myth or Fact?
Diabetes is caused by eating
too much sugar
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html
MYTH FACT

15. MYTH
Fact: Type 1 diabetes is
caused by genetics and
unknown factors that
trigger its onset; type 2 is
caused by genetics and
lifestyle factors.
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html

16. Myth or Fact?
People with type 1 diabetes can’t participate in sports
participate in sports or exercise
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html
MYTH FACT

17. MYTH
Fact: They can be
tennis players,
climbers,
basketball stars,
snowboarders—the
the limit!
http://www.stopdiabetes.com/get-the-facts/myths-and-facts.html

18. Help Promote Physical Activity
• It helps to control blood
weight, and blood
• It raises “good”
lowers
“bad” cholesterol.
• It lowers risk for heart
and nerve damage
National Diabetes Association

19. Learn all you can about diabetes.
• Find out more about State and Nationwide
Resources for Diabetic Youth on the DCS
webpage: http://www.intranet.tn.gov/chldserv/index.shtml
• Or for more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-
800-232-4636)
• TTY 1-888-232-6348 or visit www.cdc.gov/info
• To order resources, visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep