(Supporting patients who develop type 2 diabetes)

The “primary image” that is currently being used as the “hero,” or “banner” image for this article needs to be replaced either with another image—likely a photograph—from our image repository, OR from an addition that can be ADDED to our repository from Shutterstock, as we’re currently using an image here that is ALREADY being used elsewhere in our system, and we CANNOT make use of the same image in more than one place in our system! This image should depict someone ACTIVELY listening to someone who appears to be older-than-55-and-diabetic, or older-than-55-and-in-less-than-ideal-health, explain/articulate what their health issues are. Perhaps these two people could be examining the results gleaned from a glucometer together, or something of that nature.

If your loved one or a friend has type 2 diabetes, your help and support can have a major impact on their diabetes management. One of the best predictors of how successfully someone manages their diabetes is the amount of support and care they get from family and friends. The nature and extent of this support will depend on the relationship between you as a caregiver and the specific loved one or the friend you’re attempting to support. Some of the ways you can encourage someone you care about who has diabetes to engage in positive behavior can include the following approaches.

• Ask your friend or loved one how you can help, and then actively listen to what they say. Extend help and support, but make sure that they don’t perceive you as overbearing, intrusive, or judgmental, and that they feel in control of their diabetes.
• Learn more about diabetes along with your friend or loved one. Successful diabetes management depends on fully understanding the disease, its management, symptoms or complications, and blood glucose (BG), or “blood sugar,” monitoring.

(See our articles: Overview of Diabetes AND Care of People with Type 2 Diabetes).

Some of the essential topics you should become familiar with include:

• • Measuring glucose levels (see our articles: How to Use a Glucometer? AND Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems—CGMS)
  • BG targets (Fasting BG 80–130 mg/dL and Post-Meal BG less than 160–180 mg/dL)
  • What is A1c? What is target A1c? (See our video: Tracking Your Diabetes: The Numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFtKDWvI_U&t=111s)
  • Complications of diabetes: how living with it can affect your eyes, kidney, feet, heart & brain
  • Medications for diabetes (See our article: Medications for Type 2 Diabetes)
  • Insulin preparation, administration, and dosing guidelines (See our articles: Insulin Preparations, Basal Insulin Treatment, AND Insulin Treatments & Insulin Pump: The Basics)
  • Hypoglycemia (BG less than 70) (see our article: Hypoglycemia in Diabetes Mellitus)
  • Medicare and Diabetes You may need to understand how different parts of Medicare provide coverage for physician services, diabetes education, diabetes medications, insulin, and diabetes testing supplies (See our article: Medicare and Diabetes)
  • Other common conditions that may occur along with diabetes and their treatment include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and heart disease.

• Managing the daily demands of diabetes care can be a very stressful process. It may lead to psychological or emotional problems such as diabetes distress or depression. Your support and assistance may help prevent your friend or loved one from feeling powerless or overwhelmed (See our article: Managing Diabetes Distress). You can also help them join diabetes support groups—these are often sponsored by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which helps to decrease isolation and foster positive patient engagement in their care.

This would be a good place to insert a photo of a caregiver walking with whoever they’re caring for into a medical facility or clinic of some type. This image could/should appear above or below the paragraph that is written above this text that is set in orange.

• With your friend or loved one’s permission, accompany them to their appointments with health care providers (HCPs) and attend diabetes education classes. These are usually facilitated by certified diabetes educators (CDE). These Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) classes provide invaluable and comprehensive information about diabetes and its management. Typically, the person with diabetes and a close relative or caregiver attend these two-hour sessions once a week for six weeks. Private insurance companies and Medicare often provide coverage to pay for the sessions.
• If DSME classes are unavailable, you can find unbiased and reliable information by visiting educational websites such as www.diabetes.org or www.endoMD.com. 

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• Healthy eating is another area where you can help your friend or loved one. You can work together to plan nutritious and healthy meals and become a partner in their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. Help them add vegetables and fruits (five servings daily) and reduce processed food with excess sugar or salt (See our article: Eating Healthy When Living with Diabetes). Numerous cookbooks offer recipes that are diabetes-friendly. The ADA (American Diabetes Association) has excellent information about diabetes-related meal planning on its website: https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/meal-planning. People with diabetes are increasingly using digital apps to learn about diabetes, carbohydrates, glucose tracking, and weight management. Examples include Fooducate, MySugr, MyFitnessPal, Beat Diabetes, Bezzy T2D, Glucose Buddy, SnapCalories, etc.
• People with type 2 diabetes are generally sedentary and overweight. Exercise is good for everyone, but it has extra benefits for people living with type 2 diabetes. Make exercise an enjoyable group activity to support your friend or loved one with type 2 diabetes (See our article: Diet and Exercise When Living with Diabetes). Remember, leading by example is the best way to encourage your friend or loved one to increase their physical activity!

This would be a good place to insert a photo of two people, or likely a small group of between six and 10 or 12, aged OVER 50, and who are mostly NOT all “model beautiful” and who do NOT all resemble Olympic athletes in terms of body types, engaged in some type of moderate group exercise activity, such as a mild form of yoga, or mild step aerobics, or perhaps some form of pool-based exercise activity.

• Never pressure or rush your friend or loved one to manage their diabetes. Your input should be gentle and supportive, not overbearing or intrusive. Remember, you must maintain a balance and remain sympathetic to the person with diabetes.
• High and low blood sugar can lead to irritability, confusion, helplessness, and sometimes anger. Please be patient and understanding if your friend or loved one is experiencing fluctuations in blood glucose (BG) levels.
• Type 2 diabetes tends to be a progressive disease, and, over time, BG control often gets worse. Insulin is a hormone that lowers BG. People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance, which means their body does not respond to insulin, which causes their pancreas to have to produce more insulin to keep BG levels normal. Over time, the pancreas can’t keep up, and insulin production goes down. As a result, these people may need more medications and, eventually, insulin injections to control their diabetes. It’s important to understand that it’s not always their fault if the medicines aren’t working. Although life-threatening complications can occur, most patients with diabetes are aware of this and don’t need to hear about it excessively. Offering them positive support works much better in most cases.

This is a place where I/we will ask for an image that’s difficult to stage and shoot, much less find: one that depicts one or perhaps two people being genuinely and warmly, emotionally supportive of a third person who somehow shows signs/is depicted as being as in less-than-ideal health. What we’re TRYING to visually communicate here (and this is being written with the full awareness that this may be best communicated via video…) is the INTENT inherent in the final sentence that appears in the paragraph just above this one.

Conclusion

You may feel stressed, anxious, and even helpless when your friend or loved one is diagnosed with diabetes. Remember that your support is critical to helping them deal with and manage diabetes successfully over time. Educate yourself about diabetes, learn about healthy lifestyles, and stay positive. Offer specific help such as attending medical visits, helping with glucose monitoring, and administering medications. You can also help the person with diabetes implement at least some of the changes, such as altering their diet and exercising, by doing so yourself. By doing at least some of what they do, can make it easier for them to manage their diabetes, reduce the stress of their diabetes management, and help them avoid diabetic complications over time.