Seniors with diabetes quickly find that they need to carefully balance what they eat, their activity levels, and so many other details to stay healthy. Family caregivers can help, but they may not feel as if they know what to do. Home care services can be a huge help. Professional caregivers don’t offer medical assistance, but they can support seniors with lifestyle changes and developing routines that help them to live their best lives.
Stay Informed About Diabetes
There’s a lot to learn about diabetes. Understanding as much as possible about the condition helps both aging adults and family caregivers to feel more confident about managing daily life with diabetes. Elder care providers can help families find local resources for learning more about diabetes and new developments in managing it.
Keep Health Information Organized
There’s no way to remember every single detail about symptoms, glucose numbers, and everything else involved in caring for someone with diabetes. Keeping logs and records helps immensely, and the more organized those records are, the better for everyone. Working with home care providers can help families make sure that every detail gets logged on a daily basis.
Plan for Nutrition and Movement
Healthy habits are always a great idea for aging adults, but seniors with diabetes need to pay close attention to moving as much as they’re able and eating well. Home care providers can help seniors to plan daily routines that include exercise that their doctors have cleared them to enjoy. Finding exercise and daily movement that they enjoy helps seniors stick to their plans. And pairing regular movement with a balanced diet can do a lot to help seniors balance their blood sugar.
Check for Skin Issues
Skin problems, including wounds that are slow to heal, can be a big problem for aging adults with diabetes. Regularly checking skin for signs of trouble, like redness or irritation that isn’t getting better, allows seniors to be proactive about possible problems that could turn into bigger wounds later. These types of wounds are the ones that could lead to amputation later, so it’s important to be proactive.
Watch for Mood and Cognitive Changes
Changes in blood sugar can cause brain fog and other cognitive issues that seniors might find upsetting. They might also experience mood changes, anxiety, and depression related to living with a chronic health issue. Addressing those changes in healthier ways helps seniors to not only experience better quality of life, but also to feel better supported overall. Home care providers can help families to watch for some of these changes so that they can put a plan in place.
Life with diabetes can feel impossible, especially when seniors aren’t expecting the changes that come with this new diagnosis. Family members can be a tremendous source of support, ensuring that seniors feel comfortable and heard while they regain their equilibrium. Home care providers can help even more, both in practical ways and by pointing families in the direction of resources that can help.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Eden Prairie, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
