Seven Principles to Control Diabetes
National Institutes of Health
These principles, or steps, will help you manage your loved one's diabetes and live a long and active life.
Principle 1: Learn As Much As You Can
The more you know about diabetes, the better you can work with your health care team to manage your disease and reduce your risk for problems. You should know what type of diabetes you have. If you do not know, ask your doctor whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Terms that suggest that diabetes is not serious, such as “a touch of diabetes,” “mild diabetes,” and “sugar’s a little high,” are not correct and should no longer be used.
Principle 2: Get Regular Care
If you have diabetes, it is important to:
Ask your doctor, clinic or office staff, or pharmacist to help you find resources if you have problems paying for food, medicines, and medical supplies. You should be able to get Medicare or other insurance to help you pay for diabetes supplies. Make a list of questions and concerns you want to talk about at your next visit to your health care team. Use the back of the Diabetes Care Record at the end of this brochure.
Principle 3: Learn How to Control Diabetes
Diabetes affects many parts of the body. To stay healthy, it is important to know how to eat the right foods, how to be physically active, and how to look after yourself. Using the following checklist will help you learn how to control your diabetes.
Talk to your health care team about:
Learn from your doctor, diabetes educator, podiatrist, pharmacist, or dietitian how to:
For many caregivers, the resistance you get and the feeling that you are invading your relative’s privacy may leave you less than completely aware of your elder’s finances. But, if you wait until the elder becomes incapacitated to broach the subject of paperwork, locating important documents can be a much more difficult process. Read Jon Beyrer's full answer.
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