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Chronic Health Conditions and Summer Safety

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Summer safety is an important topic for all families. However, children with chronic health conditions (CHC) may be more prone to certain accidents or medical emergencies, making summer safety a crucial area of concern. From the most common CHC, asthma, to diabetes, epilepsy and anemia, health concerns can potentially add a layer of complication to summer fun.

See tips, strategies, and considerations below to ensure that concerns about CHCs are covered over the summer months:

  • Since humidity, heat, and poor air quality can awaken asthma symptoms or increase the severity of an attack, parents should keep informed of weather reports, heat index, and air quality reports when families are planning to spend consecutive hours or days outside.
  • Activities such as camping, swimming, hiking, rock climbing, etc. can pose a more significant threat to young asthma sufferers because of the combination of outdoor allergens, heat, and heavy breathing brought on by cardio activities. Some research suggests that only 4 minutes of breathing in hot, humid air can present an onset of asthma symptoms.
  • Parents should make sure that inhalers are full and on hand if needed. Consult your pediatrician if the prescription is expired or dosages need to be adjusted. When growth spurts hit, parents should be especially sure that dosages are accurate for full effectiveness.
  • The pool is a great activity for keeping children cool; however, a lesser-known asthma culprit is chlorine. For some asthma sufferers, chlorine can bring about coughing, tightness of the chest, and other asthma symptoms.
  • Since heat and humidity increase perspiration, monitoring and maintaining blood sugar levels can become trickier in the summer months. Throw in exercise and outdoor activities—and blood sugar level instability increases even more. Parents should make sure that children are hydrating even more than they typically do, as dehydration can cause blood sugar to spike. Sugary, caffeinated drinks are additionally problematic and should be limited to maintain safe blood sugar levels.
  • Insulin storage is another consideration for parents of diabetics. If traveling, be sure to pack insulin in a cooler, but not directly on ice. Insulin should also be kept out of direct sunlight and excessive heat, as that can degrade it.
  • Light-headedness, fatigue, sweating, nausea, and vomiting are symptoms of heat stroke, but they could also be a sign of more. Parents should be sure to test their child’s blood sugar more frequently to ensure that mild signs of overheating are not actually symptoms of low blood sugar.
  • For children with seizure disorders like epilepsy, summer activities like swimming, attending sleep away camp, or traveling can bring about additional concerns. Parents should make sure that children are always supervised by an adult that is aware of the seizure condition when they are in or around a swimming pool or other body of water.
  • For children whose seizures are brought on by certain light sensitivities, parents should be especially aware of the threat that sunlight or glare can cause. Car rides when sunlight is flickering or light reflecting off surfaces of water can potentially trigger an episode. Pediatricians and ophthalmologists can direct patients to specially-tinted polarized lenses to help with light sensitivity issues.
  • In the summer months, eczema can become more than a nuisance for children—it can be downright unbearable. Parents can help children by providing cool towels, refrigerated gels and lotions, light cotton, loose-fitting clothing for outdoor activities, and plenty of water for hydrating throughout the day.
  • Removing sweaty clothing and rinsing sweat off of the body immediately can help keep rashes at bay.
  • Using hypoallergenic skin care products, including sunscreen, wet wipes, moisturizers, and insect repellant can help to skin flare-ups at bay as well.

Summer Camps and Medical Needs: Advice for Parents

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An exciting aspect of summertime is the seemingly unlimited options for children to play and explore. For many families, summer camps become a regular routine each year through the months of June, July, and August. And while summer camps offer great opportunities for children to socialize, explore, and engage in many different activities, camp can also bring a host of concerns for parents. This is especially so for families whose children experience medical needs, food sensitivities, or other allergies. In these situations, awareness and knowledge are key to keeping children safe while away at camp.

Ask questions, lots of questions
Choosing the right day or overnight camp can involve a great deal of stress for families dealing with allergy concerns or other medical needs. A parent’s best starting point is to inquire about any and all foreseeable issues that might arise while a child is away at camp. Questions might include:

  • How many nurses or medical staff are on the premises? Where is the nurse’s station or stations and is there overnight staff?
  • How does the cafeteria staff and other camp staff accommodate children with severe food allergies? Are there separate food storage, preparation, and service areas in the kitchen?
  • How are ingredients labeled and stored? How are snacks planned and distributed?
  • Where are epi pens kept? How are children informed of these locations? How many staff members are trained in epi pen injection and allergy emergencies?
  • In the case of a severe emergency, which hospital or clinic is the closest to the camp?
  • How do staff members and camp counselors carry and account for medications when activities take place away from or outside of the immediate campsite? When children are off the premises, who is in charge of handling medical emergencies?
  • Are staff members trained to recognize early signs or symptoms of anaphylaxis, instances of high/low blood sugar, and asthma emergencies?

Plan ahead
Depending on age and onset of the medical issue, many children with medical needs like diabetes, food allergies, asthma, etc., are very knowledgeable about their specific needs. Parents should discuss and review safety precautions with children before they head off to camp. Remind children to be wary of sharing food, utensils, and water bottles. Review your child’s early warning signs and symptoms to be sure that he or she is aware of how an allergy or asthma attack emerges.

  • Check-in with your child’s pediatrician and allergist before camp. Make sure that prescriptions are filled and up-to-date. Double check expiration dates and ensure that dosage is appropriate for your child’s height and weight.
  • Consider a comprehensive approach to informing camp staff about your child’s specific needs. Of course, many forms will account for any specific medical concerns, and nurses are always made aware of incoming campers’ medical needs. However, the more adults that are made aware of the medical issue, the better prepared the camp will be to address any emergency during your child’s stay. In addition to the medical forms collected during registration, parents may want to take additional steps to pass this crucial information along.
  • Get creative. Consider making a “medical baseball trading card” with your child’s photo on it, as well as crucial medical information. Use your child’s most recent school or sports team photo on the card so that all staffers know who your child is. Include player (medical) “stats” like height/weight, preferred pain medication, specific allergies, prescription medications, use of inhalers, insulin, epi pens, blood type, and emergency contact information. Pass the baseball cards out so that staff members, besides the nurse, are informed of essential medical information.
  • Parents can also make rubber/gummy wrist bands with an allergy, diabetes, asthma, etc. alert on the band. Like Livestrong wristbands, a medical alert band is discreet and waterproof, which is perfect for summer camp scenarios.

Finally, parents with severe concerns may want to look into summer camps that specialize in allergy-friendly accommodations. Many camps have adopted policies in which they do not serve or carry the “Big 8”—the top known allergens including milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish. These camps aim to provide worry-free experiences for parents, leaving children free to play, explore, and experience all that summer camps have to offer.