Managing diabetes is much more complicated than your senior might expect. Every person’s individual body chemistry is different and responds at different speeds to the changes they make. So it’s vital for your elderly family member to learn as much as she can about diabetes and about managing it properly.
Elder Care Pittsburgh PA – Why Is Diabetes Education So Important for Your Senior?Understanding Diabetes Reduces the Risk of Emergency Situations
Uncontrolled diabetes is a danger to your senior’s overall health. If your elderly family member has other health issues already, diabetes can make those health issues much more of a concern. When your elderly family member’s glucose levels are too high or too low, she needs to know what impact those have on her body.
It’s Vital to Understand How Glucose and Glucose Testing Function
Your senior’s blood sugar levels, or glucose levels, affect quite a bit within her body. Testing her glucose levels at various points during the day helps your senior to understand what exercise, food, and sleep do to those numbers. Once she begins to see the patterns of her own body, she can do more to control those reactions so that they’re not swinging wildly from one extreme to another.
Your Senior Needs to Know What and How to Eat
Many people with diabetes can control their blood sugar levels through what they eat and how and when they eat. Your elderly family member may be able to avoid medication or insulin far longer than she might expect, especially if her diabetes was diagnosed before it had done too much damage to her body. Your elderly family member may need to look at food differently, like eating whole foods instead of relying on microwaveable meals.
Your Senior Learns How to Spot Complications and Other Issues
There are definitely complications that your elderly family member needs to be prepared for as she manages her diabetes. Wounds may heal more slowly, especially on her feet and legs. If she’s not aware of what’s going on in those areas, it’s all too easy for her to develop serious wounds that may need much more intensive care than she expects. Nerve pain is also a possible complication. Being aware of these issues can help her to spot them early and to do something about them before they become disastrous.
Home health care providers can be invaluable resources for your senior as she gets further into diabetic education. They can help her to master taking her own blood sugar tests and interpreting those results so that she can use that information to help her control her diabetes. An elder care provider and hep her prepare nutritious meals and shop for the appropriate foods.
If you or a loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Pittsburgh PA, please call and talk to the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Pittsburgh at (412) 693-6009. We will answer all of your questions.
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