Caring for an elderly parent with diabetes comes with many responsibilities, concerns, and stressors. Older adults often have many complex medical concerns that each seem to vie for priority attention. Some older adults tend to get sick easily, and there always is a new crisis. Some older adults have cognitive decline that changes their behavior and complicates their needs. Any of those factors can be the case when your elderly parent has diabetes. There are a few things to understand to help you prioritize their care.
Three Points for Diabetes Care in Elderly Patients
Discuss with their medical provider what their blood sugar goals are. Blood sugar goals for older adults are not identical to the goals for younger or middle aged adults. When you see a number that would be high if it was your own blood sugar, it may be OK for your elderly mom or dad. Many older adults carry the diagnosis of diabetes, but their blood sugars are still within their own goal range, so no extra changes may even be necessary, despite a seemingly high blood sugar!
Understand the objective of blood sugar goals. Blood sugar goals are to reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications. Diabetes complications usually take years to develop and are the result of cumulative high blood sugar over time. If an older adult was only recently diagnosed with diabetes, they may not live long enough to even get any complications, due to the nature of usual human life expectancy. This can steer providers and caregivers away from strict diabetes management in elderly patients.
Remember that food is an important aspect of human pleasure. When your elderly mom or dad is completely dependent on you, it seems that you can realistically control what they eat. But that does not mean you should! If removing preferred foods from your mom or dad's diet will make them really upset or sad, you should think twice about your aims. If their blood sugars are reasonably near their goal, making them miserable to have lower numbers may not be worthwhile.
Helping Your Mom or Dad With Their Diabetes
Helping care for your mom or dad when they are elderly and have diabetes can sometimes feel like an overwhelming responsibility. With the right people on your side, hopefully some of that stress can dissipate, and you can go back to enjoying your time together. Talk to their primary doctor, and see if they can refer you to a dietitian or diabetes educator for more support. The extra support and education can help you understand what is not a priority in their care. And with complex medical needs, that is sometimes more important than knowing what is a priority.
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