When Your Loved One Needs Help Managing Their Diabetes
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Trying to determine if your loved one needs to consider moving into an assisted living community is often a difficult decision for some families. Many things will factor into your decision, but one of the top ones that helps people make the right choice is whether your loved one is struggling to manage a health condition that is damaging not only to their health but also to their ability to live successfully on their own.
While diabetes can often be managed at home for older individuals, there are instances where elderly loved ones may need consistent, qualified assisted living assistance from professionals to make sure they don’t harm themselves by not managing their diabetes.
Uncontrolled Diabetes Symptoms
There are two types of Diabetes: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Whether your loved one has had diabetes for decades, which is usually the case with type 1 diabetes, or if it’s a newer health condition, recognizing the symptoms is often key in understanding how well your loved one is managing their health condition.
When diabetes is managed well, it’s nearly impossible for someone to notice anything different or wrong with their loved one. But when diabetes isn’t managed well, or consistently, you might be able to recognize the symptoms, which can cause you to wonder if your loved one needs more assistance in managing their diabetes than they have been receiving.
Five Symptoms to Watch For
- Fruity Breath. If the body is struggling to access the glucose it needs from the blood due to poor insulin levels, a person’s breath may smell fruity or sweet due to the acetone created.
- Complaining about numbness or tingling in their feet or hands. Long-term high blood sugar levels can damage nerves, especially those leading to the hands and feet, creating damage that leads to these symptoms.
- High levels of thirst. If your loved one is constantly needing to drink fluids because of excess thirst, it can be a sign of dehydration caused by high blood glucose.
- Weight loss without trying or even when eating more than usual.
- Increased infections. Taking longer to recover from a wound or seeming to catch every bug that goes around may mean their blood sugar levels are off.
Managing Diabetes
Your loved one’s physician will guide you and your loved one through the best steps to managing their diabetes. It’s usually a combination of medications, including daily insulin dosing, and lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. For some of those who have been recently diagnosed, it can turn their world upside down as they try to make wise choices but still enjoy their days.
Understandably, many can struggle with the necessary changes and may need more assistance than others to stay on the program and live a healthier, longer life.
Getting Help For Your Senior with Diabetes
If, despite all you’ve done, your loved one is still having dangerous swings in their sugar levels and/or has had to have several emergency hospital visits, it might be time to have your loved one move into an assisted living community where there are trained professionals who can help them manage their diabetes.
Assisted living can help with diabetes management by ensuring your loved one takes medications as needed, helping them manage their diet to meet their physician’s recommendations, and supporting healthy living habits such as regular exercise.
If you or an aging loved one is considering a move to Assisted Living in Simpsonville, SC, please contact the caring staff at The Springs at Simpsonville today. 864-962-8570
