Diabetic Management Matters, Especially For Seniors
Diabetes can be a difficult thing to manage at any age and comes with many challenges. In order to manage diabetes, it is important to be informed about what it takes to do so properly. Over one-fifth of people with diabetes are over the age of 60 and many of them face many other medical complications that play a factor in their diabetic management. It is extremely important for senior citizens with diabetes to understand how to care for themselves and their diabetes properly. It is also important to recognize these challenges as seniors, as caretakers, and loved ones.
Managing diabetes starts with gaining the proper knowledge of how to do so. Seeing doctors, asking questions, and seeking the appropriate medical advice can help you better understand diabetes and what it means for you or for the senior citizens you care about. Many health care facilities provide workshops that can teach seniors and loved ones how to monitor sugar levels, suggest meal plans, and recognize the need for medication. Search for these workshops in your area could be a helpful way to take ownership of diabetes. Knowing what equipment is available to assist in your comfort level when struggling with diabetes is also important.
Nutrition is something that many seniors struggle which directly affects their diabetes. Many seniors struggle to prepare meals and eat healthy options because they struggle to stand at a stove or get to the grocery store. Many seniors eat snacks, sugars, and frozen meals. Seniors also tend to eat a lot less than they should which contributes to their lack of nourishment. Eating poorly is a direct factor of diabetic issues. If your sugar becomes too low or too high, you are at risk for insulin shock, meaning the body has run out of glucose used for energy which can be fatal if it is not treated quickly. It is important for family members to provide healthy groceries to their loved ones so they have healthy foods available to them. It is important for seniors to recognize healthy choices and focus on eating those.
Many elderly adults also face cognitive issues making it hard for them to remember to care for themselves. If a senior suffers from memory loss, they may very well forget to measure the glucose level in their blood, making them unaware if they are at risk of having a diabetic episode. Seniors that face memory issues should be evaluated by a doctor that can decide if they can manage their own diabetes. If not, families and health care professionals should put a plan in place to hire someone that can assist that senior with diabetic management. If you are a senior that finds yourself struggling to remember things, tell your physician.
These three tips are just a few ways that diabetes can be manageable for senior citizens. It is a tough illness to monitor but there are steps that can be taken by both seniors and family members to simplify the struggle that comes with it.
