Living With Diabetes

Living with Diabetes

 

Many people look at diabetes as a diagnosis that will limit them and restrict their diet for the rest of their lives. A goal for the newly diagnosed diabetic should be to see this as an opportunity to change their eating habits into healthy living habits! 

According to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects 25.8 million Americans (8.3 percent of the population). This includes diagnosed and undiagnosed cases. 

For recipients of in-home care, there are two basic categories of diabetics: 

• Newly diagnosed who need extra care at home to try to learn to manage their disease

• Clients with multiple conditions along with diabetes who need help to stay living in their homes 

Every facet of living (activities of daily living or ADL) must be examined with diabetes in mind. The caregiver (person who assists the client at home) must keep this diagnosis in mind as they assist with daily activities. Shopping for meals, preparing meals, assisting with personal care, overseeing the self-administration of medications and encouraging, overseeing and assisting with exercise are all activities that are carried out while being mindful of diabetes. 

In-home care is a personal and personalized service. No two clients are alike and each client must have a plan of care that keeps their safety, their well being and their happiness and independence while living in their home as the ultimate goal. Whether the person providing the “extra assist” is a professional or a friend or family member, the care and goals should be the same. 

Obtain as much information as possible from the person's doctor. Have this person take you with them to an educational program on this disease. Encourage them to ask questions, to get clear guidelines and warning signals, and to get a list of dos and don't s. Encourage them to manage their own disease with assistance rather than have someone else manage it for them. 

Nutrition is the main issue for the person with diabetes. Below are some tips for proper diabetic nutrition: 

• Exclude all refined sugar – however keep an item on hand in case of emergency

• Exclude white flower substituting brown pasta items into the diet

• Be sure the diet includes fruits and vegetables but realize not all fruits are the same. Green fruits contain less sugar so a less ripe banana is a better choice for a diabetic. Grapes and raisins have too much sugar.

• Avoid salt and fat

• Juices and sodas would be best removed from the diet plan

• Portion control is extremely important 

Water is extremely important to this diet. Follow the general guideline of eight (8) glasses of water per day or more. Their skin should be checked for hydration regularly. 

Exercise is important too. Assist them start an exercise routine that fits the age and condition of the diabetic. Be sure the plan is varied to prevent boredom. Check with the person's doctor to verify this is an acceptable plan and then assist the diabetic to follow the routine. They say six weeks creates a habit – if you can sell it for six weeks you may have helped them change their lifestyle and elongated their life! 

Help the diabetic check their feet regularly for damage. Nerve damage and numbness are common – be sure they wear well fitted, comfortable shoes to help prevent this!

Ask them questions and observe daily for vision changes. Diabetics can suffer vision challenges which need to be identified quickly.

Learning to live with diabetes is a must. Living well with diabetes is a gift!

Posted Friday, 05/27/11, 01:20 PM - Comments - Category: Diabetes

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