Living with Diabetes: Tips to Manage the Condition

With over 14.3 million American seniors with diabetes, this chronic condition may be affecting an aging parent or loved one. The complications of diabetes can be severe as it increases the risk of infection. When left unmonitored, diabetes can damage the nerves, eyes, kidneys, and heart. Diabetes also increases the risk of dementia and falls, which can severely affect your senior loved one’s length and quality of life.

Fortunately, diabetes is a manageable chronic condition. With lifestyle changes like a healthy diet and regular exercise, as well a regular visits to their care provider, seniors can improve their health and longevity. Here, we take a look at a few tips to help seniors manage diabetes:

Keep Medical Appointments

Diabetes management is most effective when there is regular correspondence with your senior loved one’s healthcare team. This team may be comprised of their primary care physician, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, and other specialists. Additionally, your loved one may also benefit from receiving non-medical assistance from a home care provider.

Make Healthy Choices

Seniors need to eat healthy meals and get regular exercise. When preparing meals, provide assistance by monitoring your loved one’s diet based on their physician’s recommendations. Additionally, seniors who smoke should consider quitting, and those who drink alcohol should reduce or limit their intake.

Seek Additional Help

With other responsibilities like work or school, relationships, and other obligations, taking care of a senior with diabetes may become overwhelming. When this happens, consider seeking professional help from a home care provider.

As a non-medical home care provider, we offer several services that can help maintain your loved one’s health. Our caregivers can assist with daily activities and accompany them to appointments. We also assist with meal planning, making appointments, medication reminders, and many more.