Diabetes is a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is also more increasingly common in the elderly.
For those seniors who have diabetes, they are at higher risk for having other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, vascular disease, and neurological disease. And since the elderly have increasingly poor performance in caring for themselves or doing other tasks, caring for them becomes a bigger challenge when they also have diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
There are two types of diabetes:
- Type 1 Diabetes – the body makes very little to no insulin. This is more common in children and young adults.
- Type 2 Diabetes – This is the more common type, wherein the body makes insulin but is just stored in the body and not used immediately. This is also more common in middle-aged to senior adults.
It is important to manage and control diabetes, because many complications can arise from it. It can also affect other parts of the body, causing liver and kidney disease, nerve damage, blindness, stroke, and so many more.
Signs of Diabetes
People with Type 2 Diabetes may feel hungry, thirsty, and tired all the time. They also urinate more often than normal, and may also lose weight easily. They may also suffer from blurred vision.
You can get tested for diabetes using many blood glucose tests that measure the amount of sugar or glucose you have in your blood.
How to Cope with Diabetes
You can control or manage diabetes especially in the elderly by:
- Keeping track of your glucose levels
- Having a healthy lifestyle
- Making healthy food choices that are low in fat and sugar and carbohydrates
- Having an active lifestyle
- Taking medicine for diabetes
- Stop smoking
- Monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly
- Having a regular annual eye checkup
- Having regular visits to the dentists
- Taking good care of oral health
- Protecting skin because it can be prone to infections