Diabetic Care
Being an elderly diabetic can be very difficult. That is because unlike the younger population who may have the disease, older people are subject to many age-related conditions, such as hypertension, arthritis, and eye diseases. Fortunately, having a competent individual from MR Homecare, who can administer the proper diabetic care, can be equally reassuring. These individuals have been carefully selected and trained to provide diabetic care, whether in recognizing the warning signs of hyper/ hypoglycemia, or in monitoring a person’s intake of food and medications.
The first aspect of diabetic care which is required of the staff is education. It consists of not only knowing the many differences between the types of diabetes, but more importantly, the numerous complications which may arise from it. This is of particular importance because these complications may already be present in the elderly person being cared for. For example, there is diabetic retinopathy, a complication in the eye’s retina. There is also diabetic nephropathy, a complication in the kidneys. Knowing which complications are present, and how to care for them, is a trait shared by MR Homecare personnel for diabetic care.
The second aspect of diabetic care is food intake. MR Homecare staff is well versed and critical in this important aspect, because food intake influences not only diabetes, but other diseases as well. Elderly people may have varying nutritional needs depending on the presence of other diseases. In addition, people with type I diabetes have different needs from those with type II. And facilitating proper nutrition by counting all the calories, meal planning, balancing the nutritional value, and shopping is a bit much for most elderly people to handle. MR Homecare personnel can help a lot with this daunting challenge, to the point of sometimes helping with the shopping and meal planning.
The third aspect of diabetic care is proper medication. Simply put, this involves monitoring, and helping to administer the different tablets, pills and insulin injections which the elderly person may require. This task, although simple, can be very challenging to the elderly, whose hands may already be shaking and arthritic, sometimes making even the simple act of putting a pill into the mouth difficult and administering injections, even more so. Competent MR Homecare personnel that provide diabetic care will tirelessly and happily assist with this important task and further help by organizing the medications, and reminding the elderly on when they need to be taken.
But the real value in diabetic care comes when an emergency strikes. This is represented by the two extremes in diabetes, both potentially fatal: hypoglycemia, or having too little usable sugar, or hyperglycemia, having too much sugar. With proper care, this can be avoided, but sometimes, they still happen. Having a person who knows what to do, who can administer the proper first aid, and who can promptly ask for assistance, is a very important and life-saving resource.
From monitoring to emergencies, the diabetic care provided by MR Homecare staff is most helpful to the elderly. To get a more in-depth idea about the diabetic care entire program, please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to answer all the possible questions.