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More on COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes:

  • Learn about being prepared with diabetes supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada 
  • Read experiences of people with type 1 diabetes in the pandemic 1 year later 

Connected in Motion’s vision is a community of healthy, active and educated people living with Type 1 diabetes who are supported and engaged in diabetes self-management.

As we monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, the Connected in Motion team has been working hard to continue to foster a healthy, educated, and supported Type 1 diabetes community amid the growing need for social distancing.

Through the past 10 years, Connected in Motion’s programming has been largely centred upon in-person gatherings. We see value in face-to-face interaction. We watch the community grow and thrive during face-to-face events. We have also had the pleasure to see our online community blossom over the years, serving new people in new ways. 

As we continue to develop our 2020 plans with the health of our community at the forefront of our minds, we are excited at the challenge of providing the connectedness, support, and education of Slipstreams through new creative and innovative ways. 

As a community member, we wanted to provide you with an overview of the plans we will put in place, should the need arise. We are currently monitoring the situation in locations where our programs are taking place, as well as keeping an eye on the general happenings in both Canada and the USA, where most of our participants live. We are in communication with our host Slipstream venues and local public health authorities and and following their directives and leads. We continue to advocate for the Connected in Motion community’s best interest in ensuring everyone stays safe and prioritizes their health. We will continue to use the Government of Canada’s tool for making risk-informed decisions for mass gatherings during COVID-19 as a guide. 

As our Spring, Summer, and Fall programs approach, we will continue to communicate with our community about the status of our programs. We do not currently have any programs planned between now and April 30. This is the time frame that most venues, airlines, and service providers are looking at and anticipating potential disruptions. We also do not have any programs planned with more than 40 current participants. For currently registered participants, we’ll be in touch to update you on plans shortly. 

In general, please know that if a program is cancelled, Connected in Motion is committed to providing you a refund for that program and an alternative option to participate in virtually that will provide an opportunity for community building, connection, and education through innovative and creative means.

 

 

We’ll be excited to share more on those options as they become necessary. For anyone travelling to a program from out of the country, we’ll be in touch in the coming days to chat with you, hear your thoughts, and provide some options. If you were considering travel and have made travel arrangements, we recommend staying informed as to your local travel advisories and waiting until closer to your Slipstream or Adventure date before booking.

While we sit back and see how the next few weeks unfold, we wanted to share with you a few pieces of important information about T1D and COVID-19, as well as some ideas on how to keep active, stay engaged, and enjoy some quieter times without mass gatherings.

First, make sure you’re up to date on how to manage sick days as someone with T1D. It’s true that some people in the diabetes community are more susceptible to infection. If this is you, you probably already know it. If you’re someone who seems to pick up every sniffle and cough your nieces and nephews bring to family dinner, or if your doctor has told you you are high risk because of certain complications, you are likely more prone to picking up the virus. Regardless, make sure you know what to do if you get sick. JDRF Canada posted a great overview of how COVID-19 affects people with T1D and how to manage sick days.  

A few key messages related to T1D & sick days:
  • If you start to feel sick, make sure you’re extra-diligent in checking both blood glucose (BGs) and ketones. 
  • Ketones might not be something you normally check for. If you can, swing by the pharmacy and pick up some blood or urine ketone strips. Don’t forget a meter if you don’t already have one! The FreeStyle Precision Neo meter can use both BG and ketone test strips. It’s worth calling ahead to your pharmacy to make sure they have blood ketone strips in stock – they don’t always! Otherwise, urine ketone strips (brand name: Ascensia Ketostix) work too! To learn more about how to interpret a ketone reading, click here
  • IF you have ketones, put your ketone plan in place. Don’t have one? Talk to your diabetes team now and they can set you up with a plan. Don’t have access to a diabetes team? Read more about ketones from our friends at Beyond Type 1. You can also read up on recommendations for dosing insulin for ketones and managing sick days from the team at St Michael’s Hospital, here
  • Be sure to have supply of what you might need if you are stuck home for a while. Currently self-quarantines and self-isolation is recommended for 14 days. Think about what you might need, both from a diabetes standpoint and otherwise, should you be hanging out at home for 14 days: insulin, pump supplies, syringes, BG checking supplies, low treatments, fluids, food… 
  • Know who to call in various situations and what their numbers are. Who can you call to help you out if you do start to feel sick? Who could help you stock supplies if you needed to stay home? Who do you call if you start to experience symptoms? Who do you call if you experience high ketones?

Also, don’t forget that you can still get outside and enjoy the natural environment while still practicing social distancing! To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC defines social distancing as ”remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.”

A few ideas of things you can do to stay healthy and active while practicing social distancing:
  • Explore the green areas in your neighbourhood: Check out that park you’ve always walked by on the way to work. 
  • If the snow is gone, head out on a bike ride! Find the local bike paths in your town or city and find out where they go! 
  • Throw on a podcast (we recommend Lucy’s 1 Talks Podcast and Walt’s Ask Me About My Type 1 Podcast) and get your 10,000 steps in. 
  • Taking a phone call for work? Can you walk and talk? Give it a try! Anyone else have their greatest ideas when they’re out and moving? 
  • Pick up that book you’ve been putting off reading and head to the park (or… stay at home comfy on the couch!). A few on our diabetes-book list include: Bright Spots & Landmines by Adam Brown, The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes by Sheri Colberg, Getting Pumped! by Mike Riddell, No Days Off by Max Domi. Have other favs? Leave them in the comments! 
  • Feel a writers-twitch? Write a guest blog post for Connected in Motion! (Self-serving, definitely… but we always love guest posts!) Email kendra@connectedinmotion.ca if you’d like to contribute. 
  • Tag us in photos of yourself staying healthy (@connectedinmotion) so we can share. Who knows, your new activity might be someone else’s favourite!

At the end of the day, do something for yourself. Focus on finding the opportunities for calm, quiet, and quality time with your loved ones. We’ll be working behind the scenes to make sure that the CIM community continues to thrive and look forward to staying connected online over the coming weeks!