VISITING ANGELS NAPLES, FL 239-561-7600
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Caring for Seniors with Type 2 Diabetes: How Personal Care Providers from Visiting Angels Naples Can Help

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and a great opportunity to learn how type 2 diabetes affects seniors. Learn more about what you should know about type 2 diabetes and how personal care providers from Visiting Angels help seniors in Naples, Marco Island and surrounding areas in Collier County, FL manage symptoms

Type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent among the elderly. Because many seniors are unaware of their illness, it is vital to understand how the disease affects seniors and what signs to look for.

If you believe your loved one has diabetes, you should be aware of how type 2 diabetes might affect your senior loved one, what some typical symptoms are, critical information on caring for seniors with type 2 diabetes and how personal care providers from Visiting Angels Naples can assist you.

What Are Common Signs of Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. Prediabetes affects around 85 million Americans aged 18 and more, and it affects more than a quarter of all seniors.

Because the chances of type 2 diabetes rise with age, it's vital that your loved ones know what to do if they see any symptoms.

The following are some of the most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

  • Frequent urination
  • Feeling very thirsty
  • Feeling very hungry
  • Fatigue
  • Blurry vision
  • Cuts and/or bruises that are slow to heal
  • Tingling, pain or numbness in the extremities

Some seniors may be unaware they have the ailment since the symptoms are minimal at first. The most straightforward method of diagnosing diabetes is to see your local doctor for a full physical examination.

Untreated high blood glucose levels can affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. Diabetes complications are prevalent among nursing home residents and might result in increased impairment or death.

How to Care for a Senior Loved One with Type 2 Diabetes

The sooner diabetes is detected, the more time you have to assist your loved one in managing their symptoms and improving their quality of life. Caring for elders with type 2 diabetes entails a number of measures, such as healthy living and medication control.

Weight Control

Those who have diabetes are aware that maintaining a healthy weight can help with disease management. If you are overweight, even losing 10 to 15 pounds might make a big difference. You can assist your loved one in managing their weight by providing tasty and healthy meals and urging them to minimize the amount of junk food they consume. Light exercise might also assist your loved one in burning fat and calories while maintaining a healthy weight.

Physical Exercise

Regular physical exercise can also help manage your loved one's weight and type 2 diabetes symptoms.

Exercise on a regular basis helps to preserve muscle strength and bone flexibility, minimizing stress on joints and ligaments. Exercise also improves insulin sensitivity, which helps to prevent hypoglycemia.

Several studies have found that regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, may reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Strength training has also been found in studies to enhance muscle mass and bone density.

Other benefits of regular physical activity include:

  • More energy
  • Improving your A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol levels
  • Increasing your strength
  • Lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke

Gardening, strolling, raking leaves, and carrying groceries are all examples of simple activities that can assist seniors include some mild exercise into their daily lives.

Medication Management

Although keeping a healthy weight helps many seniors manage type 2 diabetes, oral medication is needed for others. When caring for seniors with type 2 diabetes, it's critical to make sure they take their prescription and to keep an eye out for any signs that their medication isn't working or is interfering with any other medications they're taking. Although insulin is more beneficial for persons with type 1 diabetes, some people with type 2 diabetes can use it to regulate their disease.

Your loved one's doctor should review them, along with their food and lifestyle plan, before starting any oral drugs. Oral medicine, according to the American Diabetes Association, is more likely to be helpful for people who have just become diabetic or require little to no insulin to regulate their blood glucose levels. However, seniors who have had diabetes for more than a decade or who use more than 20 units of insulin per day may not obtain the outcomes they want from diabetic medications.

It's also critical that they talk to their pharmacist if they need to switch brands or modify their dosage. Individuals with diabetes sometimes have to spend time locating the best prescription for their needs or must take a mix of drugs (and even insulin, in some cases). Furthermore, oral medicine might cease functioning after a few months or years, requiring your loved one to find a new prescription or treatment technique.

How Visiting Angels Naples Helps with Caring for Seniors with Type 2 Diabetes

If you're feeling overwhelmed by caring for a loved one with type 2 diabetes, personal care providers from Visiting Angels Naples can assist. For many years, we have been caring for seniors with diabetes and other chronic illnesses, and we provide a variety of home care services to assist your loved one manage their health and lessen the intensity of their symptoms. Best of all, our care plans are tailored to your loved one's specific needs, ensuring that they receive the assistance they require.

Here are some ways our personal care providers can help your loved one manage symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

  • Planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks
  • Helping them get to and from the bathroom
  • Clearing clutter from rooms so your loved one can exercise at home
  • Providing transportation to fitness centers and senior centers so your loved one can get a workout
  • Accompanying your loved one on a morning jog
  • Reminding your loved one to take their diabetes medication and keeping an eye out in case they show any side effects
  • Driving your loved one to the pharmacy so they can pick up their prescription
  • Taking your loved one to doctor’s appointments
  • Shopping for healthy groceries
  • And so much more

To learn more about how type 2 diabetes impacts seniors and how our personal care providers can give you peace of mind, call our Naples, FL office at 239-561-7600 to schedule a free in-home consultation!

Serving Naples, Marco Island, and throughout Collier County in Florida

Visiting Angels NAPLES, FL
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road #200
Naples, FL 34108
Phone: 239-561-7600

Serving Naples, Marco Island, and throughout Collier County in Florida

Visiting Angels NAPLES, FL
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road #200
Naples, FL 34108
Phone: 239-561-7600