Diabetes is a condition that many people suffer from up to this day. According to a study done in 2020, 4.2 million Americans are afflicted with this condition. While certain medications deal with this type of condition, the common consensus is that they do not really cure the illness as a whole, but rather, they mitigate the symptoms well enough for the patients to live their daily lives without any form of pain hindering them.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that there is no way to manage the lives of people with diabetes. There are ways to “lighten up their load”—to make their lives easier despite the condition. These are not alternatives to medication per se, but rather, they are a form of coping and intervention to reduce the risks caused by the illness.
Having a Well-Balanced Diet
One main cause of diabetes is the overconsumption of carbs and sugar. While it may have been too late to reverse the cause of the affliction, it doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be able to do anything about the current condition!
Reducing the carb intake of the patient would greatly help in the long run. The reduction of desserts and the absence of caffeine and sugary beverages are just some of the ways to manage this. Monitor the patient’s daily meal if you must, just make sure that they do not eat more than they have to.
Having an Active Lifestyle
Exercise greatly helps in sweating out glucose content from the patient’s body. If the patient is elderly, you do not have to assign strenuous activities; a couple of daily stretching routines and some regular walking would suffice.
Make sure to monitor this stage as well, as you wouldn’t want the patient to overdo it and suffer an injury along the way. Depending on the current strength of the person, you can either make this a daily routine or go for alternating days. Just make sure to prioritize the well-being of the patient. Do not give them any task that may put them at more risk.
Having a Timetable
Everything must be balanced for a diabetic patient, even their time and daily activities. If you happen to be their caretaker at home, guide them towards their daily activities, be it in waking up early, stretching out, freshening up, having breakfast, and so on.
This is important since it reduces the risk of fatigue and unnecessary activities. Spending too much time on a certain activity may do more harm than good. See to it that they are able to keep up. If they can’t handle all the activities within the checklist, try to eliminate one of those routines and improvise.
Remember to make it all convenient for them as much as possible, without causing them to miss out on exercise.
Conclusion
Diabetics are always at risk of experiencing their symptoms time and time again. Be a helping hand and guide them through their daily tasks. Create a list of activities, as well as a simple diet plan to assist them with their new, healthy lifestyle. This can’t be done overnight, but with the right outlook and motivation, the patient would be able to live through diabetes without any frequent hindrance or pain.
Are you looking for a home health care service in Denver that would assist your diabetic loved one at home? Look no further than Gateway Home Health Hospice. Our highly-trained physicians provide only the best when it comes to home-based patient care. Contact us for more information about our home-care services.