# Diabetes Care from Parent to Child: Passing the Torch of Care



## Northerner (Mar 23, 2019)

_Transitioning care from parent to child can be a stressful time for families with diabetes – six strategies on how to reduce the burden _

Transitioning from my parents being in charge of my diabetes to assuming full care myself didn’t happen overnight. It was a long course with small milestones in pursuit of crossing some kind of “hey, now it’s yours!” finish line. After spending a week in the hospital learning the “diabetes ropes,” my parents and I were sent home to live with this disease.

When I was diagnosed at the age of seven, my mother did everything for me. She checked my blood sugar. Crafting meals and snacks that hit all the recommended marks plus the careful calculation and administration of insulin was a full-time job.  My mother also took care of ordering insulin and scheduling doctor’s appointments, among a host of other things.

But when I entered my teen years, I was grappling with the hormones and authority-bucking nature of any teen while also trying to take ownership of my chronic illness. It was up to me to make strategic and sound food choices and to make sure my blood sugars were checked regularly.

How did my family and I make changes incrementally so that I could go from “passive” to “active” in my diabetes care?

https://diatribe.org/diabetes-care-parent-child-passing-torch-care


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