Is Your Parent at Risk of Developing Diabetes?

Elderly Care in Gramercy NY

As a family caregiver for your aging parent there are likely certain medical conditions and issues that you are particularly concerned about. One of these may be diabetes. This condition is quite prevalent among elderly adults, but just because it is one of the more common medical issues does not mean that it is inevitable or that your parent should just “deal with” the fact that they might develop it. Diabetes can have a lasting negative influence on your parent’s quality of life, including making them far more susceptible to developing other serious medical conditions, diminishing their health and increasing the chances of a shorter life.

Some of the risk factors that increase the chances that your parent will develop diabetes include:

• Family history. Though one that your parent cannot control or influence, one of the more pressing risk factors for diabetes is family history. If your parent has a parent or sibling who has suffered diabetes, they are at increased risk
• Weight. A leading contributing factor for diabetes is being overweight or obese. When the body has an excess of fatty tissue it makes the cells within it less responsive to insulin. The higher your parent’s weight over their healthy ideal for their height and body type, the greater the risk that they will develop this condition
• Inactivity. Being active is essential for health and wellbeing, and this is particularly applicable for reducing the risk of developing diabetes. Being active helps to keep your parent’s weight under control. It also forces the body to use the glucose in it for energy rather than having it end up stored within the cells. The activity itself also makes the cells within the body less resistant to insulin
• High blood pressure. Though they are often not discussed in terms of being linked, high blood pressure can increase the risk that your parent will develop diabetes. This can be due to many factors, but if your parent is already dealing with hypertension it is essential that you pay close attention to their other risk factors to keep the chances that they will develop diabetes under control.

Talk to your parent’s doctor about their risk factors so that they can help you to determine your parent’s risk level and offer recommendations for how you and your parent can help to reduce this risk. This will help them to live healthier and enjoy a better quality of life throughout their later years.

If you are concerned that your parent is at increased risk of developing diabetes, you may want to consider starting an elderly care arrangement for them. In this type of care relationship, a referred caregiver can develop a course of care and treatment that is designed specifically to address your parent’s needs, challenges, and limitations. This enables them to manage their risks and live a healthy, active, and engaged quality of life throughout their later years. Should they develop diabetes, this referred caregiver can also be a valuable source of support and encouragement for your parent to manage their condition properly. This includes helping them with nutrition, encouraging them to be more physically active, and offering reminders for medication and treatment compliance.

Source
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/basics/risk-factors/con-20033091