Caring for Adults
Getting diagnosed with a chronic illness like diabetes comes as a major shock that takes time to adjust to. A person newly diagnosed with diabetes needs the support of family and friends to cope with the common emotional responses, which can range from sadness and depression to denial and anger. Just as importantly, he or she needs support to make major lifestyle changes to manage the disease and regain health. Those who follow the food plan developed by their dietitian and who exercise regularly can keep their blood glucose stable and avoid complications.
If you help care for someone with diabetes, learn all you can about the disease. Read the information on this site and the links provided. You might want to speak with your diabetic relative's or friend's doctor to understand his or her particular condition better.
Caring for a person with diabetes might mean adjusting your usual habits and routine. For example, you could start eating at restaurants with healthier food choices and refrain from keeping tempting foods in the house, at least temporarily. And food shopping might seem more difficult at first now that you'll need to read labels and avoid certain foods with a high sugar content.
When it comes to exercise, many people (not just those with diabetes) can more easily adopt a new exercise regimen when they pair up with a buddy. See the exercise section for tips. Consider taking regular walks together or starting a new activity you both enjoy. You can also help your diabetic relative or friend to find a buddy, perhaps at a diabetes support group.
Caring for Someone with Diabetes When They Are Sick
Diabetes can add complications to everyday and major illnesses such as colds, flu, infections, vomiting, surgery and injuries. Blood glucose often measures higher than usual, even when the diabetic eats less food, because illness lessens the effectiveness of insulin. The following general guidelines can help you care for a diabetic patient; make sure you contact his or her healthcare provider with any questions or concerns.
- Diabetics should always take their usual diabetic medications, unless instructed otherwise. Sometimes they might need to take additional medication to treat their illness; consult with their healthcare provider.
- Diabetics should check blood glucose every three to four hours all day and all night. They might need help with this if they feel too sick to do it themselves. Diabetics who take insulin should measure keytone levels in urine when blood glucose measures 250 or higher. Too many ketones in urine indicate that there may not be enough insulin in the body to control blood sugar.
- Write down the results of your patient's blood glucose and ketone checks in case you need to call the healthcare provider.
- Diabetics who can eat should drink plenty of fluids, including sugar-free and caffeine-free drinks such as water, decaffeinated tea, broth and diet ginger ale. Diabetics who can't eat should alternate sugar-free fluids with fluids containing sugar, such as regular ginger ale, apple juice, sports drinks or gelatin.
- Diabetics should rest and stay warm.
- Contact a healthcare provider if any of the following symptoms are present:
- Vomiting and diarrhea for more than two hours
- Fever
- Blood glucose values over 250 for at least two blood glucose checks or values that do not go down with additional insulin, whether ketones are present in urine test or not
- Moderate or large numbers of ketones in urine test
- Persistent stomach pains
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Thursday
November 20, 2008
Tip of the Day
Regular exercise increases the number of insulin receptor sites on cells, making the body more sensitive to insulin.
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