Caring for Your Adults

Help the Adult You Care for Achieve Simple Wins

As our loved ones with diabetes age, they may need your help managing their diabetes, from diet and exercise to monitoring blood glucose levels to meeting with healthcare professionals. Whether you're a caregiver, a spouse, parent or relative, you're filling a vital role in helping your loved one stay healthy.

Independence and Interdependence

We spend our childhood and adolescence learning how to be independent adults. In fact, many of us link our self-confidence to our own self-reliance. As a result, it can be a difficult adjustment for mature adults to first admit they need help and then accept it. As a caregiver to an adult, it's important to be sensitive to the value people feel in self-reliance. Instead of taking over your loved one's life when it comes time to providing them with care, be their health partner, sharing the responsibilities for their health together. Keeping your loved one informed, involved and as self-reliant as possible will help you both stay energized and happy.

Medications and Treatment

As a caregiver it's important to be informed about the medications your loved one is taking and what their treatment options are. Their healthcare team will create a diabetes treatment plan for them which may include insulin, oral medications or both. Click here to learn more.

Testing

Regular blood sugar testing is an integral part of diabetes management. As a caregiver it's important for you to know why testing is important, how it can help your loved one feel better, and the types of tests that they should be getting done regularly. Click here to learn more.

Complications

Having diabetes raises the risk of developing other complications, such as skin problems, foot problems and periodontal disease. Learn how you can help your loved one prevent short- and long-term complications of diabetes and lead a healthy life. Click here to learn more.

Nutrition

Nutrition is just as important as testing when it comes to managing diabetes. What your loved one eats will have a direct, and sometimes immediate, effect on their health. But nutrition doesn’t need to be complicated, as long as you know the basics. Click here to learn more.

Hygiene

Good hygiene is important in keeping diabetes in check. Your loved one's teeth, skin and feet need special attention every day. Caring for them properly plays a big part in keeping diabetes under control by avoiding complications. Click here to learn more.

Caregiver Tip:

Planning well-balanced meals for someone with diabetes can be simple. From counting carbs to reading food labels, we have you covered. Check out Nutrition & Eating Well to learn more.