Caregiver Cheat Sheet

Last summer I sat on the floor outside the room while Henry was in art camp. He’d been diagnosed with T1D five months prior, and he’d been on the pump for the last two months. The camp was only one week long, so surly I could just sit on the floor and meet him for snack time and watch the Dexcom (this was pre Share), right? I sat on the floor and Henry loved art camp. However, I had ample time to contemplate the fact that until Henry is old enough for self-management, we can no longer drop Henry off at school, camp, a friend’s house, a birthday party, or even leave him with a family member, without talking about diabetes care.

When you tell someone about diabetes care, I’ve noticed three general reactions.

A glazed over look appears in the eyes, then mouth, and invades the general posture of the listener. Do not leave your child with this person.
The listener sort of gets it, and starts asking questions like, “You have to do that every two hours?” “You mean he can have sugar?” “So the pump doesn’t automatically know how much insulin to give him?” Leave your child with this person only after feedback loop systems are the standard of care or after you’ve had several more conversations about diabetes.
Shaky hands accept the medical devices and instructions. Usually this person says something like, “I will call and text you.” Two minutes after you’re in the car, there’s a call, but you know this person can handle it.

Obviously it’s never a good idea to leave a child with diabetes with a caregiver who does not understand the basics of diabetes or is unwilling or too nervous to administer care. However, it is possible to train willing family and friends. To help our willing family members, babysitters, and preschool staff, we created a caregiver cheat sheet. The sheet covers: blood glucose range, hypo & hyper treatments, carbs for meals, Animas pump information, and Dexcom CGM information.