How Can Home Care Providers from Visiting Angels Broomfield Help Older Adults Manage Type 2 Diabetes?
Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s a good opportunity to learn how type 2 diabetes impacts older adults. Learn more about what you should know about type 2 diabetes and how home care providers from Visiting Angels help seniors in Broomfield, Westminster, Northglenn and surrounding areas in CO manage symptoms
Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common among the elderly. Because many seniors have no idea that they have diabetic symptoms, it is critical to understand how the disease affects them and what warning signs to watch for.
If you believe your elderly loved one has diabetes, you should be aware of how type 2 diabetes may impact their health and everyday life, as well as some common symptoms, vital information on caring for seniors with type 2 diabetes and how Visiting Angels Broomfield’s home care providers can support you.
How Will I Know My Loved One Has Type 2 Diabetes?
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes typically include:
- Feeling very thirsty
- Feeling very hungry
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Tingling, pain or numbness in the extremities
- Cuts and/or bruises that are slow to heal
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the seventh biggest cause of death in the United States. Prediabetes affects around 85 million Americans aged 18 and above, accounting for more than 25 percent of the total elderly population.
Since the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, it's critical that your loved one understands what to do if they detect any symptoms.
Because the symptoms of type 2 diabetes are mild at first, many seniors may be unaware they have the disease. Seeing your local doctor for a complete physical examination is the most straightforward way to detect diabetes.
High blood glucose levels that go untreated may harm the eyes, as well as the kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. Diabetes is common among nursing home patients and may cause greater disability or death.
How Family Caregivers Can Help Seniors Manage Type 2 Diabetes
The earlier diabetes is diagnosed, the more time you have to help your loved one manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Caring for elderly adults with type 2 diabetes entails a variety of strategies, such as healthy living and medication management.
Weight Control
People living with type 2 diabetes are well aware that maintaining a healthy weight often helps with symptom management. If you're overweight, losing 10 to 15 pounds can make a major impact. You can help your loved one lose weight by preparing delicious and healthy meals and encourage them to eat less junk food. Light exercise may also help your loved one burn fat and calories while staying at a healthy weight.
Physical Exercise
Exercise on a regular basis might also assist your loved one control their weight and type 2 diabetes symptoms. Gardening, walking, raking leaves, and carrying groceries are all simple things that might help seniors get some light exercise in their everyday life.
Regular exercise helps to maintain muscular strength and bone flexibility, reducing stress on joints and ligaments. Exercise also increases insulin sensitivity, which aids in the prevention of hypoglycemia.
Several studies have indicated that regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, may lower cardiovascular disease risk factors. Strength training has also been shown to increase muscle mass and bone density in studies.
Some additional benefits of exercising regularly include:
- Increasing your strength
- Lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke
- More energy
- Improving your A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Medication Management
Many seniors with type 2 diabetes benefit from simply maintaining a healthy weight, while others need oral medication. When caring for an elderly loved one with type 2 diabetes, it is critical to ensure that they take their prescription as advised and to watch for any indicators that their medication isn't working or is interacting with any other drugs they are taking. Although insulin is more effective for type 1 diabetes patients, it may also aid certain type 2 diabetes patients.
Before beginning any oral medications, your loved one's doctor should review their diet and lifestyle plan with them. According to the American Diabetes Association, oral medication is more likely to be beneficial for individuals who have just become diabetic or need little to no insulin to maintain their blood glucose levels. Seniors who have had diabetes for more than a decade or who need more than 20 units of insulin per day, on the other hand, may not get the expected results from diabetic medications.
It is also vital that they consult with their pharmacist if they need to change brands or adjust their dose. Diabetes patients may need to spend time determining the right prescription for their requirements, or they may need to take a combination of medications (and even insulin, in some cases). Furthermore, after a few months or years, oral medication may cease to be effective, necessitating the search for a new prescription or treatment method.
How Home Care Providers from Visiting Angels Broomfield Can Help Your Elderly Loved One
If you are feeling overwhelmed by caring for an elderly loved one with type 2 diabetes, come to Visiting Angels Broomfield. Our home care providers have been caring for older people with diabetes and other chronic diseases for many years, and we provide a comprehensive variety of services to help your loved one manage their health and reduce the severity of their symptoms. Best of all, our care plans are personalized to your loved one's unique needs, ensuring that they get the help they need.
Here are some ways our home care providers can help your loved one:
- Accompanying your loved one on a morning jog
- Clearing clutter from rooms so your loved one can exercise at home
- Providing transportation to fitness centers and senior centers so your loved one can get a workout
- Planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks
- Shopping for healthy groceries
- Reminding your loved one to take their diabetes medication and keeping an eye out in case they show any side effects
- Driving your loved one to the pharmacy so they can pick up their prescription
- Taking your loved one to doctor’s appointments
- Helping them get to and from the bathroom
- And so much more
To learn more about how type 2 diabetes impacts elderly adults and how our home care providers can help your loved one, call our Broomfield, CO office at 303-625-7623 to schedule a free in-home consultation!