Parenting

Transition Guide for Diabetic Adolescents: From Pediatric to Adult Diabetes Care Providers

Preparing for Transition

NIH has provided a very thorough checklist on their website about how to plan for transition.

There are important key factors that the family member, loved one, health care provider, or even the person who will go through the transition should consider.

  • At least a year before transmission is expected to occur, new adult care providers must be able to introduce the idea of transmission to the target person (adolescent with diabetes).
  • Allow adolescents to become more independent by getting them involved in scheduling for appointments, refilling prescriptions, calling health care providers, and reviewing blood sugar results.
  • Parents or other guardians may have a talk with them about some repercussions to remember such as the effects of smoking and drinking to diabetes.
  • Start discussing and choosing the right health insurance for the adolescent.
  • Give adolescents names and numbers of agencies or people they could ask help from in the future. Also, carefully discuss certain issues that they may encounter physically and emotionally.
  • Prepare all the necessary documents needed such as the release for transfer of medical records that will be used by the adult care providers.
  • Discuss self-care with adolescents such as medication schedules, meal planning, medical care, immunizations, self-monitoring of blood glucose schedule, and exercise.