5 Diabetes Care Tips for Seniors

With a quarter of adults over 65 struggling with either Type I or Type II diabetes, it’s important that friends and family know how to help loved ones with diabetes keep their blood sugar in check. Otherwise, complications like cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, blindness, hypertension and nerve damage can happen. At Home Personal Care provides the following 5 tips to help your diabetic loved one stay healthy:

1. Monitor and Document Blood Sugar Levels

It’s not fun, but it’s absolutely necessary to understand the process and stick with it daily. Help your loved one keep a journal of blood sugar levels and learn how to help manage the equipment, dispose of sharps safely and learn what food patterns mean to blood sugar levels.

2. Create an Emergency Plan

Family members, doctors and caregivers should work on a diabetes emergency plan so everyone knows what to do and how to help if there’s an emergency.

3. Reminders & Scheduling of Diabetes Medications

Scheduling and reminders for taking diabetes medications are essential to make sure the correct doses are given at the right times for optimum results. Forgetting or taking them at the wrong time can lead to medical problems.

4. Proper Nutrition for Diabetes

Diet and nutrition are absolutely fundamental to your diabetic loved one’s health and can significantly improve quality of life. At Home Personal Care’s nutritionists work with doctors to create meal plans designed to stabilize blood sugar levels and improve overall health:

5. Keep All Doctor’s Appointments

Those regular appointments are important touchstones for how well medications and dietary plans are working and can catch problems early. Be sure to ask about foot and eye care during these appointments.

At Home Personal Care’s diabetes care experts can help your loved one manage the condition and have a better quality of life. Call us at (703) 330-2323 today.