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Part 2 – Managing Diabetes in the Elderly

Managing diabetes in the elderly can pose a challenge to caregivers.  Your elder may also have other health conditions that need to be taken into consideration as you try to control the diabetes such as heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke to name a few.  Untreated diabetes can lead to other problems like loss of eyesight, foot problems, and hearing impairment.

The goal of managing diabetes in the elderly is to keep the diabetes in control and prevent future health issues caused by diabetes.

Diabetes forces people to make huge changes in their lives.  All their lives they have been able to eat whatever sweets whenever they wanted and exercise however they wanted.  Now that a person is diagnosed as diabetic their easy going lifestyle must change, diet changes, how they exercise may change too.  Diet cola! Thirty years ago there wasn’t such a thing a diet soda! Oh and in the South – sweet tea is a staple!!

My Dad was a diabetic.  This brought many challenges to our family.  The biggest problem was that Dad loved sweets – chocolate anything, cakes, candy, brownies, and anything with sugar.  My Mom was very clever; she would hide the candy in the dishwasher.  Dad never would look in there!

When Dad got near the end of his life he couldn’t swallow food.  Some of the food that he ate went into his lungs.  The little flap in the throat that opens and closes when you eat to close off the airway didn’t work for him after his last stroke.  Our family chose to put him on a feeding tube in order to keep the food out of his lungs and stop the pneumonia.  At that point we thought that he may gain this ability back, but he never did.  Our issue with the tube feeding is that there are very few nutritional formulas that are made for diabetics and there are none that are concentrated.  Dad’s other issue was that he had congestive heart failure and he could only have a certain amount of liquids a day or it would send him to the hospital.  Our family had a huge time with trying to control his diabetes.

The big question is “So how do I control my elder’s diabetes?”  This is a very difficult question to answer, but I do have some hints for you:

• Work with your elder’s physician closely.  This doctor plays a huge role in the health of your elder.  Your elder may need to see a specialist that deals with diabetics (usually an Endocrinologist) as a normal part of their practice.  It is ok to “step out of the box” and go to another doctor other than the doctor they have been to for 30 years.
• Follow the diet that the doctor has given your elder.
• Get your elder active for 30 minutes a day.  Exercise plays a key role in the overall health and treatment of diabetes.
• Have your elder take the medicine for diabetes (if they are on one) on schedule.
• Check your elder’s blood sugar as the doctor has indicated and keep track of your blood sugar levels.  Remember they may need to help with this task.
• Do a foot check daily for cuts, bruises, sores, swelling, blisters etc.  Untreated infections of the foot can lead to amputation.
• Be sure your elder brushes and flosses their teeth every day.  The mouth is a huge source of bacteria that can harm you elder if not cared for properly.
• Maintain a good blood pressure and keep their cholesterol numbers in the good range.  Make sure they are taking their blood pressure medications.
• Encourage your diabetic elder not to smoke.  Smoking compounds the chances to get more of the complications from diabetes such as vision, hearing, kidney disease, etc.

Managing diabetes in the elderly can be a challenge for caregivers, just remember that you may have to take baby steps to get them on board with the doctor’s plan and just keep plugging along it will help them maintain a healthy life.

Mary Davis was a caregiver for her parents for 4 ½ years after both her Mom and Dad had strokes.  Mary is the owner of 2 elder care websites (http://www.careforyourelderblog.com

http://www.secretsofeldercare.com/)  and author of 9 e-books.

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Understanding Diabetes in the Elderly

The statistics of diabetes in the elderly is staggering. According to the American Diabetes Association there are over 12.2 million people over the age of 60 who have been diagnosed as diabetic. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in 2006 as listed on death certificates. Wow, those are huge numbers of elderly.

Diabetes, officially called diabetes mellitus, occurs when the body does not respond to the insulin (a hormone that is produced by the pancreas that doesn’t allow the body to use the glucose that is in the body) that it is making or the body doesn’t make enough insulin. This causes the body to store up the glucose (sugar). This storage of glucose in the body causes many complications.

There are 3 main types of diabetes:

Type 1 – When the body doesn’t produce enough insulin on its own. These people must take insulin injections daily. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5-10% of those people diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 2 – When the body is not using the insulin that it is producing properly people have Type 2 diabetes. This is the most common form of diabetes.

Gestational – Women who become pregnant and do not normally have diabetes suddenly become diabetic during their pregnancy. Some women remain diabetic after their pregnancy will develop Type 2 diabetes. You don’t see this type of diabetes in the elderly, but you may see that it started as gestational and progressed to Type 2.

The 2 most noticeable symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, increased fluid intake, and more frequent urination. The diagnosis of diabetes is the result of a fasting blood sugar test preformed by your physician.

Diabetes in the elderly is an important disease to be on the look out for. Elderly need to take some extra care with their health. Elderly people have higher chances of encountering diabetes because as age increases the production of various important enzymes in the body decreases. The elderly body’s immune system doesn’t function as well as it used to and the body’s capacity to produce the important enzymes that convert the carbohydrates into useful “food” diminishes. Diabetes in older people can also promote the other organs of the body to not function properly.

In the next blog I will discuss how to manage diabetes in the elderly.

Mary Davis was a caregiver for her parents for 4 ½ years after both her Mom and Dad had strokes.  Mary is the owner of 2 elder care websites (http://www.careforyourelderblog.com & http://www.secretsofeldercare.com), and author of 9 e-books.

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Senior Citizens Discounts

Senior Citizens Discounts have expanded to encourage spending in our tight economy. The usual senior discounts may always be around to some degree but many merchants are offering discounts for senior citizens on goods and services we may rarely consider.

For example, the New York Yankees have a promotion for Senior Citizens allowing them to purchase $375 game tickets for only $5. This promotion is a steal of a deal for baseball fans but equally serves to encourage seniors to get out an enjoy an activity usually reserved for those with plenty of discretionary income.

One of the most enjoyable Senior Citizen Discounts being offered is the America The Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. This is $10 Lifetime admission pass to any federal recreation site and entitles seniors to a host of amenities at reduced rates. This is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors and see some of the nation’s  most breathtaking scenery, perhaps doing it in an RV would nice .  Click to search for National Parks offering a senior citizens discount. There is most likely a terrific destination close to  your local area.

The above are just a few examples of interesting ways to enjoy new experiences at deep discounts. But looking for additional discounts on travel, groceries, entertainment and dining will also be well worth the effort involved in discovering them.

In fact, membership in the Senior Citizens Bureau provides access to over 200 company discounts, an SCB Discount Card and resources for seniors which makes taking advantage of special offers a snap. Feel free to search the directories above to find out who is providing senior care services, both nationally, and in your local community.

Elder Abuse And Neglect

Elder Abuse is on the rise everywhere and just because we may think of paradise when we think of the Virgin Islands, doesn’t mean the elderly population is not at risk. The economic climate has put more seniors at risk for financial exploitation and this is reflected in the rising number of incidents reported.

Whether it is financial abuse or physical neglect, we all know the number of incidents is exponentially greater than what actually gets reported.  Further, not every reported case of elder abuse is passed on from police or fire department to social services making statistical reporting less than ideal.

Fortunately, Human Services Department officials in the Virgin Islands understand the seriousness of the elder abuse and neglect issue and are becoming proactive in elder abuse prevention. In fact, in 2008 legislation was passed regarding elder abuse law and territory agencies educating staff about reporting elder abuse through training and awareness.

Read more about elder abuse in the Virgin Islands and how officials are taking steps to identify, correct and prevent these problems in the elderly population. Isn’t good to know that the Virgin Islands isn’t more than a place to vacation and exercise on the beach. We’re glad to such a response to the local senior community.

If you are a senior citizen or senior services care provider search information related to your local community through the Directory section at the top of this page. Take advantage of the wealth of information and member benefits available for seniors, both locally and nationally, through the Senior Citizens Bureau.

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Senior Care Services – Texas

Rarely do we hear great news when it comes to the Federal Government handing over stimulus money to State and Local authorities but we’ve found something to cheer about in Texas.

According to The Herald-Zeitung Senior Citizens, Low Income Homeowners and contractors in New Braunfels, Texas will receive $92,170 out of a $74.7 million grant for Texas. The money comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)and will go towards making home repairs and funding certain municipal programs.

“The senior citizen Meals on Wheels program and My Friend’s Haus, an activity center for senior citizens, will each receive $6, 913. About $68,000 will go into two home repair programs, a city-funded effort and one provided by the Comal County Senior Citizens Foundation to provide needed home improvements to financially disadvantaged homeowners.”The Herald-Zeitung

In an effort to create jobs, home repair projects will be awarded to local contractors to get more mileage out of the dollars awarded to New Braunfels. In an age of “Bridges to Nowhere” and corporate bailouts it seems those in charge of community development in New Braunfels should be recognized for their well intended use of funds.

It’s nice to know that Texas seniors are acknowledged in their needs are being addressed in tough economic times. Let’s hope other municipalities follow suit and increase programs to help the elderly instead of letting so many good programs out there circle the drain.

To find out who’s doing what for senior citizens in your local community take advantage of the resources provided by the Senior Citizens Bureau. Browse the directory of Senior Care Services Providers in your state now.

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