What type of things are providers doing to help their adolescents prepare for transitioning to adult care? Our diabetes treatment team is in the process of developing a transition program for our teen population and I wanted to see if anyone had ideas or suggestions, as well as learn about what others are doing.
We are addressing: risky behaviors (alcohol, drugs, sex, driving), going off to college, insurance issues (ie. - getting and/or maintaining insurance), ordering supplies/filling Rx's, knowing one's medical/health history, differences between peds and adult providers.
Looking forward to your response!
Hello,
I was recently hired to help coordinate a transition program for a pediatric diabetes clinic at a large academic teaching center. I'm reaching out to see how tyour efforts have gone over the past year, and any suggestions and/or lessons learned. Transition is definitely becoming a hot topic, and there are many resources out there. However, it's always best to talk to those who've been through it!
When I was in high school my care team at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes was very realistic and gave me info on dosing insulin for alcoholic drinks, diabetes-friendly birth control, and finding a treatment that fit into my life. I appreciated it, though I ignored my diabetes and had scary control from age 15-25.
The info about insurance and keeping prescriptions would be super helpful. Think it's also smart to tell young diabetics about this forum and others where they can hear from other diabetics.
It's important to recognize that many, if not most teens with diabetes rebel against it. Teens drive too fast, try drugs, and do other stupid stuff. Diabetic teens skip shots, rarely test, and may or may not bolus for a meal. This link is an article written from a mom's perspective, but I think it does a good job of capturing the struggle teens have with diabetes. www.diabetesmine.com/.../teens-with-diabete.html
Good luck with your project. It's very cool that you're doing this.
T1 since 1977 Minimed pump since 2002
Thanks for sharing your personal experience and the link! The article gives good insight into an issue that so many face, and "outing" it is a great way to start working towards better solutions.