Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Tips » Tips for Caregivers of Family Members with Diabetes and Other Serious Issues

Tips for Caregivers of Family Members with Diabetes and Other Serious Issues

When a family member with diabetes mellitus becomes disabled, and unable to give self-care, you may need to take over his/her care. It can be difficult being a caregiver for someone who has health issues related and unrelated to diabetes. Your loved one could be your mom, dad, aunt, uncle or friend; it goes without saying that you want to take care of your loved one to the best of your ability.

You may be taking care of a loved one who has decrease cognitive function due to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Your loved one could have cancer, or some other condition that may make it difficult to control their diabetes. You do your best to care for your loved ones, and you may wonder if you are doing enough, or if you are missing anything. The following tips will help you take care of your loved ones effectively.

Before caring for a sick or disabled person with diabetes, it is important that you understand what you are getting into. You should read as much as possible about diabetes and how diabetes is impacted by other illnesses or disease processes. When you do become the caregiver of a loved one, you will need to notify the diabetic loved one’s medical professionals to indicate that you are his/her caregiver.

You also need to become familiar with using a glucometer, and you also need to know how to use diabetic supplies, such as glucometer test strips. If you will be responsible for dispensing medications to your loved one, you need to understand the indications and contraindications of the drug, and what the untoward reactions might be.

If your loved one requires insulin, you will need to know how to administer it to your diabetic loved one. Long acting insulin is often cloudy in color. It is necessary to mix the insulin well before drawing it up into the syringe. You can mix the insulin by rolling it between your two hands several times. There is no need to actually shake the vial of insulin.

When administering insulin, it is very important that you have delivered the correct dosage to the diabetic individual. Insulin is measured in units, and each wide line is 10 units and each short line is 1 unit. It is important that the dosage is exact, because a little bit too much or too little could have detrimental effects on an individual. If you have never drawn up insulin, or you have never administered an insulin injection you should let a professional assist you while you learn how to draw up and administer insulin.

There may be times when you feel frustrated when caring for your loved one who is diabetic. If your family member has dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, it can be a challenge to take care of him/her. It is important to keep your feelings in check, and not show your frustration. It is better to take a few minutes to gather your wits about you, than to show your frustration. If you feel yourself getting stressed out from caring for your loved one with other issues than diabetes, it is important to take a few minutes to calm yourself.

If you are the sole caregiver of your mom, dad, or other individual, it is important that you have some time for yourself. You will need some time to regroup, so that you can best take care of our loved one who has diabetes and other serious issues. It is a good idea to get other family members to help out, or to have a paid companion on call for when you need a little time to yourself.

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