How to be a Caregiver for a Diabetic Patient

Knowledge is power no matter which aspect of life you talk about. The more you learn about your elderly's condition and ways to manage it, the better you can care for them. Education and knowledge will tell you what all tools and systems your loved ones need.

To learn more about this condition, you can visit sites like ADA (American Diabetes Association) and Mayo Clinic.

You can even visit local hospitals and health clinics to get more education on diabetes. Alternatively, you can opt for diabetes caregiver training and attend them together with your patient.

Hearing about the diagnosis may be troubling at first for your patient. Your first instinct may be to soothe them or try to fix the situation immediately. Remember, you need to give them time to come to terms with the diagnosis.

Understand their stress and give them some time to come to terms with it. Give them autonomy as much as possible.

Be detached while discussing these things but always be supportive. Do not overwhelm them but be there for them to offer support.

Do anything you can to encourage your patient to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This means making a healthy diet a part of your routine. You should also focus on getting them regular exercises. Start with something light, such as walking or tap dancing.

But, be careful. Do not bombard them with too many changes. Take baby steps. Begin with more minor changes to show your support. Applaud whatever actions they take. Here are some other ways to stay healthy during old age.

Almost all care homes for the elderly encourage patients to self-monitor their condition. You should also do the same thing. Type 2 Diabetes can be too much for some elderly to handle. The more you encourage them to self-monitor, the more confidence they will have.

You can start with things like using an at-home kit to monitor blood sugar levels. Some tools tell you accurate blood glucose levels every single day. Encourage your senior to also keep track of their exercise, diet, stress levels, etc.

Managing a condition like diabetes can be quite a stressful endeavor. This can further complicate things because increased stress levels tend to affect blood sugar levels negatively. If your patient is constantly in that flight or fight mode caused by stress, blood sugar frequently spikes.

Another thing you can do to care for your elderly is to encourage them to practice self-care. This can include practicing yoga, meditation, getting a full body massage, developing a new hobby, etc.

Managing diabetes means managing your blood sugar levels. And, there's nothing quite like the power of physical activity and exercise to help with that.

It also keeps the blood sugar levels in balance. But, you should know that too much exercise when the blood sugar is already low can be more dangerous than helpful.

Therefore, you must schedule your patient's exercise routine smartly. Ideally, you should do it an hour after you have had the meal. That's when there's a spike in blood sugar, so it makes sense to exercise.

Also, when going for exercise - make sure to carry emergency items such as carb-rich snacks, water, glucose tablets, etc. This is particularly important for parents who might be exercising away from home.

Your patient may have to take a bunch of medicines to manage the condition. As a responsible caregiver, you should buy a pill organizer. This will help you to manage doses and also restock medicine once you're about to run out of them.

If and when going for a doctor's appointment, be sure to accompany them. See that the practitioner doesn't accidentally prescribe anything that might interact with your elderly's existing medication for diabetes. 

Healthy communication is essential in any caregiving role. Try to look into how their self-care and management routine is looking like for them. Be on the lookout for any red flags such as low energy, irritability, etc.

Be genuinely interested in listening to what your parents have to say. Be realistic about how much time and energy you can invest looking after them and the level of care they need to function properly and live a healthy life.