Senior Diabetes Management
Diabetes is one of the most dreaded diseases. Unfortunately, as the prevalence of diabetes increases with age, with close to 50% of all cases of the condition occurring in people above the age of 55, the best approach to diabetes is simply good lifestyle management.
The harsh facts
Did you know that $1 out of every $10 spent in healthcare goes towards the costs of diabetes treatment? While this may indicate that diabetes sufferers are taking good care of their bodies, the ground reality is something different. Surveys have shown that diabetes is typically under-reported in senior citizens’ death certificates, especially in cases where the individuals have multiple conditions like hypertension and heart disease. This means that diabetes claims more senior lives than what official figures suggest. The big question is how can seniors manage their diabetes effectively?
Diabetes care
An important part of elder care is helping seniors manage conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s and even diabetes. While the former two may seem more debilitating, it is crucial that the elder care professionals administer the right diabetes solutions to prevent other complications like:
Blindness: Close to 20,000 Americans lose their precious vision each year due to diabetic retinopathy. Careful diabetes management can avoid this.
Nerve disease: Chronic nerve damage resulting from diabetes sees leg and foot amputations in seniors; this number stands at more than 80,000.
Heart disease: Diabetics are twice as likely to suffer from (and lose their lives as a result of) stroke and heart disease.
Managing diabetes
Quality treatment is imperative: Medication, insulin treatment and blood glucose monitors are some of the essential diabetes treatment aids. As access to such treatments in the US is very good, seniors needn’t have to worry too much. What is important is that there is no delay in accessing the right medical care from quality providers. With Medicare, Americans can now reclaim all diabetes-associated medical costs when treated by certified providers.
A multi-pronged approach: As diabetes can affect multiple organs, seniors must ensure that they report any abnormalities to their doctors immediately. Periodic heart and eye check-ups are important to detect the onset of complications arising from diabetes at an early stage.
Self- education: Seniors must be aware of diabetes complications, vital check-ups and monitoring devices, diet regimen, and exercise among other things. A healthy lifestyle can keep cholesterol and glucose levels in check, and seniors must set goals to control and manage their condition effectively.
Diabetes care at most Carlton Senior Living facilities in northern California involves all the best management practices such as periodic blood glucose checks, administration of insulin, the right nutrition plan, planned exercise sessions and a diabetes education forum that is held each month.
