Camp And Diabetes Message On Board

Each summer, millions of children in the U.S. participate in summer camps. From overnight adventures to week- or month-long athletic activities, camp offers an exciting change of pace from the school year. But as a parent to a child with diabetes, you might wonder how your child can safely participate in summer fun without putting their health at risk.

As you know, diabetes management requires plenty of preparation — and it's no different for summer camp. Camp is a departure from the normal routine. With increased physical activity and different eating habits, it's important to ensure your child's camp counselors and staff are educated about diabetes, necessary medications, the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar, and what to do should an emergency event occur.

Three top tips for camp prep

Once you've decided on a camp for your child, open the lines of communication with camp staff as soon as possible. Here are three essential tips to keep in mind to ensure your child's diabetes management plan is maintained all summer long, from one activity to the next.

  1. Learn the capabilities of camp staff and resources so you can plan accordingly. A diabetes camp should have medical professionals with diabetes management experience and know how to handle your child's medical needs. A traditional camp may require more advanced planning and diabetes education on your part. Work with your child's healthcare provider to create a diabetes management plan to share with camp staff.
  2. Provide all necessary medication, supplies and information in case of an emergency. Educate camp staff about your child's diabetes management plan and review each medication in their toolkit. Provide blood sugar monitoring supplies, oral glucose to treat low blood sugar and glucagon to treat a low blood sugar emergency.
  3. Ensure your child and camp staff understand low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), as well as signs to watch out for. If untreated, low blood sugar can progress to very low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia), a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

Signs of hypoglycemia can include1:

  • Dizziness
  • Shakiness
  • Confusion
  • Combative behavior
  • Trouble answering questions
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Passing out or having a seizure

Talk to your child and camp counselors to ensure they recognize the symptoms of low blood sugar and identify who will carry low blood sugar treatments, or where they will be stored. Your child should also know who to go to if they need help, and camp staff should know what treatment to use and when. Make sure ready-to-use glucagon is always available to treat a low blood sugar emergency. It can be administered if your child has tried correcting with food or drink, or if they're unable or unwilling to eat or drink, feel like passing out, pass out or have a seizure.

Is my child at risk for hypoglycemia?

The American Diabetes Association and the Endocrine Society state that all patients with diabetes who take insulin are at risk for hypoglycemia — which is why the availability and use of glucagon is a priority2,3. Because low blood sugar can progress quickly and unexpectedly to very low blood sugar, keeping glucagon on-hand can provide a safety net for your child when they need it most.

Understanding glucagon treatment options

If you don't have a prescription for glucagon, talk to your child's doctor. Together, you can decide on the best glucagon formulation for your child. Keep in mind that ease of use matters, as glucagon is typically administered in a stressful, high-anxiety environment.

Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection) can be used by anyone the moment it's needed, like rescue pens for severe allergic reactions. It's also simple to administer — in a study designed to simulate an emergency situation, 99% of people used it correctly.4,5 See full Instructions for Use.

Arm your child and their camp counselors with Gvoke HypoPen, the ready-to-use rescue pen anyone can administer with confidence.

References

1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Hypoglycemia Emergency Care Plan. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Files/Health-Information/Health-Professionals/Diabetes/health-care-professionals/Hypoglycemia_Emergency_Care_Plan
2. American Diabetes Association. Glycemic targets: Standards of medical care in diabetes—2021. Diabetes Care. 2021;44(suppl 1):S73-S84.
3. McCall A, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol. 2022;00:1-34.
4. Valentine V, Newswanger B, Prestrelski S, Andre AD, Garibaldi M. Human factors usability and validation studies of a glucagon autoinjector in a simulated severe hypoglycemia rescue situation. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2019;21(9):522-530.
5. Newswanger B, Prestreleski S, Andre AD. Human factor studies of a prefilled syringe with stable liquid glucagon in a simulated severe hypoglycemia rescue situation. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2019;16(9):1015-1025.