Do You Have a Diabetes Care Plan? Make Sure It Includes These Tips!

Effective diabetes management requires consistent, ongoing attention to numerous details—with the understanding that ignoring diabetes can result in serious health concerns, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and even diabetic coma. Thankfully, there are certain steps those with diabetes can take to reduce the stress of diabetes care and remain hopeful and healthy.

First and foremost, identify any barriers to care. Some of the obstacles faced that make diabetes care management a challenge include:

• Not having sufficient information and education on proper diabetic care
• Engaging in activities that might disrupt the diabetes care schedule
• Finding excuses to avoid getting the right amount of exercise
• Eating habits that may be driven by emotions rather than actual hunger
• Depression and other emotional problems

Once these hurdles are overcome, be sure to consider the following in your diabetes care plan: 

Accept help. Family, friends and neighbors are often available to offer much-needed support. Diabetics need to be sure to let loved ones know what they need and what to watch for. A professional home health caregiver, such as those at Harmony Home Health & Hospice, is trained and experienced in diabetic care and can serve as an excellent resource for diabetes care support and encouragement.

Change your care focus. Although it’s true that proper diabetes care helps prevent diabetic complications, some people may find it challenging to maintain the necessary level of care based on this incentive alone. Consider other benefits that can help; for example, properly managing diabetes could lead to better agility on the basketball court, improved work productivity, and the ability to better enjoy favorite pastimes and interests.

Stick to your diabetes care plan. Creating a daily routine – and sticking to it – will help with better managing diabetes care. Remember to keep in mind how your plan will be affected if there are disruptions to the routine.

Remain positive. Negative self-talk can spiral into depression and feelings of helplessness, while positive self-talk is uplifting and offers solutions. Rather than saying to yourself, “I can never manage my diabetes—I guess I should just plan to always have health problems,” try thinking, “I didn’t pay enough attention to my portion sizes at dinner yesterday; that’s why my blood sugar was off. I need to plan ahead next time and make sure my portion sizes are in line with my meal plan, or utilize extra insulin if I eat more than I should have.”

For more help with creating or implementing an effective diabetes care plan, contact the experts in adult and pediatric hospice and home health at Harmony Home Health & Hospice. We’re always on hand to provide helpful resources and in-home health care services for those with diabetes or any other challenging health condition to improve quality of life. Call us at 1-877-I-NEED-CARE (1-877-463-3322) to learn more about our Salt Lake City in home care and the surrounding area we serve.