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Most people living with diabetes become experts in managing their condition. As people get older they may require a bit of additional support with some aspects of managing their diabetes whether this is with blood sugar monitoring, dietary assistance, maintaining good hydration or foot care. These aspects are an essential part of maintaining good health when someone has diabetes.
Radfield offers specialist support for those with diabetes
There are many ways in which we provide support to those with diabetes on a daily basis. We’ve listed the most common below. If you have a specific question about diabetes care which isn’t covered below then just get in touch with our local office and we’ll be happy to help. Please note however that we do not administer insulin.
1. Blood sugar monitoring
We can assist with taking blood sugar readings and record these as frequently as required to provide information that can be shared with health care professionals e.g. diabetic nurses and GP’s etc. If blood sugar readings are too high or too low they can follow pre-agreed action protocols to manage the situation and get medical assistance if required.
2. Dietary assistance
Ensuring a healthy diet that is low in fat, sugar and salt is recommended for diabetics.
Read more about dietary advice from the NHS here.
Managing diet well can improve diabetic control and reduce the risk of long term diabetic complications. Some people who are overweight may also improve their diabetic control if they can bring their weight into a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) range of between 18.5 and 24.9. For those with a BMI above the healthy range, NICE recommends aiming to achieve a gradual weight loss of 5 to 10% of body weight over a period of a year.
Read here for more information about BMI.
When it comes to managing diet our team can assist with shopping for and preparing meals that are agreed in advance and in line with a diabetic diet. We can also help to monitor and record weight as required. All our Care Professionals are trained in nutrition and maintaining good hydration, which is very important for good blood sugar control. Where required we can monitor daily food and fluid intake to help health care professionals understand more fully that person’s diet and hydration day-to-day, which may inform their management of diabetic medication etc.
3. Physical activity
Increasing physical activity is usually advised for people with diabetes and where possible we can assist with accompanying older people on walks outside the home and gently increasing the amount of exercise that they’re able to take. Any extra activity and exercise adds up over time.
4. Diabetic foot care
One of the possible long term complications from diabetes is foot problems. Diabetes can cause damage to nerves in the feet which mean that people with diabetes become less aware of when they have damaged their feet or lower legs. It’s advised that daily foot checks are done to identify any potential problems with feet early e.g. a cut or an ingrowing toenail that could lead to infection. That’s something our team of Care Professionals can carry out if required.
For more information about caring for your feet go to this link on the Diabetes UK website.
5. Assistance to attend diabetic reviews and screenings
Reviews and screenings are an essential part of avoiding diabetic complications. These complications are usually checked for at reviews with the Diabetic Nurse, GP or hospital consultant and the sooner they are identified the easier they are to treat and get under control.
If a family member’s not available, we can accompany people to hospital, GP or other appointments and if desired attend the appointment with them and take notes on what is discussed. These can of course subsequently be shared with family members if the client wishes.
6. Diabetes and being ill
Having an illness or infection can make it harder to control blood sugar levels as the body will release extra glucose into the bloodstream as a response to the illness.
If someone who is diabetic becomes ill, it’s always advisable to:
If you are unsure how to manage the situation then you should definitely obtain advice from your diabetic team or GP. We also offer a helpful guide on understanding type 2 diabetes symptoms, packed with useful advice for people living with or trying to spot type 2 diabetes.
Our team of trained, dedicated Care Professionals will assist with all of the above areas and can liaise with health care teams as required throughout the course of an illness.
Click here for more guidance on how to manage diabetes if unwell.
We’d love to talk about ways we can help, get in touch with your local Radfield team today.
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