Diabetes Management

Managing diabetes can be difficult, especially for the elderly. They must be sure to maintain a healthy level of physical exercise, eat well-balanced meals, remember to check their blood sugar levels, and give themselves medication if needed. If they cannot, it could lead to long-term problems such as nerve damage, eye problems, heart problems, kidney issues, and more. 

Luckily, many senior living communities, including Assisted Living Communities and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), have extensive experience managing diabetes in the elderly and provide individualized care plans to address seniors' conditions and support their lifestyle and health goals.  

This article will discuss how senior care communities help diabetic residents manage their health, including hypoglycemia protocol for SNFs, insulin management, and AMDA guidelines for diabetes in long-term care. 

Hypoglycemia Protocol in Skilled Nursing Facilities

For diabetic residents determining their hypoglycemia risk is the most critical factor in determining their glycemic goals. Each SNF will have its process for helping diabetic residents with hypoglycemic management of type 1 and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the care teams at SNFs will provide proper diabetes care by:  

• Monitoring diabetes medication administration. 
• Ensuring residents stick to their care plan, including encouraging physical activity. 
• Monitoring blood sugar levels (based on each resident’s risk factors for hypoglycemia). 
• Encouraging eating nutritional, balanced meals. 
• Helping residents to limit eating too many carbohydrates and fatty food. 

Insulin Management  

All Skilled Nursing Facilities and some Assisted Living Communities have qualified staff members who can help residents with the administration of insulin. 

AMDA Guidelines for Long-Term Diabetes Care  

The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) provides long-term care staff with guidelines for managing diabetic care for residents at every phase. The AMDA recommends that each care facility does the following: 

• Create specific policies and procedures for hypoglycemia treatment.  
• SNFs avoid the sole use of sliding scale insulin (SSI) for long-term diabetes management. 
• Simplified treatment regimens are recommended. 
• Liberal diet plans are best for preventing dehydration and unintended weight loss. 
• Exercise and physical activity are essential but should be based on each resident’s abilities.  

Referah provides seniors and their families with a wide variety of resources to promote better health and lifestyles for those with diabetes and many other ailments. Find out about great ways to stay connected with your loved one in urgent times of need by reading our article, “Best Medical Alert Systems for Seniors.”  

Find Senior Care Near You 

Senior care communities provide many benefits for seniors with diabetes. Residents can enjoy healthy, nutritious, and tasty meals, access to physical activities and fitness programs that help with diabetes symptoms, and monitoring of blood sugar levels if they cannot do so themselves.  

While the cost of diabetes care depends on the level of help needed, Referah's team of experts can help you identify the best forms of support. We work directly with seniors, their families, and (by extension) medical advisors to find the appropriate care for your loved ones. Talk to one of our experts about finding professional care today.