SUMMER FUN FOR KIDS
Combine enjoyment with education for a well-rounded diabetes camp experience
BY:MARC LICHTER
Kids with diabetes like fun just as much as everyone else. But if you are thinking of sending your child with diabetes to camp, is it better to send him or her to one that's diabetes-specific?
"There are real advantages to an experience at diabetes camp. It's like landing on a planet where everyone has diabetes," says M. Joan Mansfield, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who has been a physician at Camp Joslin, the Charlton, Massachusetts, summer getaway associated with the Joslin Diabetes Center.
"There is plenty of education about managing diabetes at camp," she adds. "The support they feel from belonging to a group where everyone deals with the challenges of diabetes every day gives them energy and enthusiasm for tackling the challenge of diabetes throughout the year."
Dr. Mansfield notes medical advantages. "Low blood sugars are frequent in any camp situation due to the intense levels of exercise. This is handled quickly and appropriately at diabetes camps." Another plus is that "children learn carbohydrate counting, so they can match their insulin dose to their food intake to better control blood sugars. Their insulin is adjusted daily by the camp doctors, who are diabetes specialists."
On top of that, she adds, "the kids have fun" and "make friends with others who can really understand what it is like to manage diabetes every day."
If you're looking for a diabetes-specific camp, visit childrenwithdiabetes.com/camps for parent/camper tips, a by-state search, an American Diabetes Association statement on at-camp disease management, memory statements from former campers and more. Also try the American Camping Association website. Click on "Find a Camp," then click on "Special Needs/ Specialty Clientele." On the next page, identify diabetes as the special need when filling in the rest of the search criteria.
Happy camping!