Our "Advanced Diabetes Management Skills for Families" weekend has been carefully designed to include something for each member of the family. Our goal in offering this unique program is to blend practical diabetes self care information with a family outing and day of fun in hopes that families dealing with type 1 diabetes will benefit from their experiences together.

APRIL 26, 2008: Following check-in and continental breakfast between 8 and 9AM, parents will receive a basic review of current goals of diabetes care and review core diabetes care concepts which are vital for anyone with type 1 diabetes to master. Proper application of “basal-bolus” insulin regimens will be discussed and questions answered. The secrets for getting the maximum amount of useful information from blood sugar meter results will be shared. Tips for enhancing carbohydrate counting skills will be revealed. Following a networking lunch, secrets for successful insulin pump therapy will be provided in plain English. Advanced insulin pump techniques will be discussed with an emphasis on how to get the most out of an insulin pump. A course syllabus will be provided to each family or individual attending with educational materials complementing each presentation.

APRIL 26, 2008: A special one hour break out workshop exclusively for siblings of children with diabetes will be held to address their unique concerns and needs. A minimum of 10 siblings is required. Afterwards, the siblings will join their brothers and sisters at the camp’s outdoor activities.

• Living with a brother or sister with diabetes
• How much should siblings really know about diabetes?

APRIL 26, 2008: Running parallel to this program will be a specially designed Grandparent Retreat for Diabetes Basics. The goal is to provide grandparents (and any other non-primary care providers or extended family, such as aunts or uncles) the opportunity to learn hands on diabetes self care skills from expert pediatric certified diabetes educators (CDE’s). Topics to be discussed will include 1) proper insulin injection technique, 2) methods of self blood glucose monitoring, 3) ketone measurement and proper diabetes sick day management, 4) the basic elements of diabetes meal planning, 5) an overview of insulin pump therapy: the how’s and why’s, 6) proper approaches to high and low blood sugar readings. Take home materials and course syllabus will be provided to the grandparents or relatives for future reference.

• Insulin injections
• What is the “diabetic diet” after all?
• Insulin pumps 101
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Managing high and low blood sugars
• Preventing diabetic coma (sick days)