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Home Care and Diabetes
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is defined as either a deficiency of insulin or a decreased ability of the body to use insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose (sugar) to enter body cells and be converted to energy. Insulin is also needed to synthesize protein into fats.
There are two types of diabetes:
Type I: The body makes no insulin. Type I diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes and typically occurs in people under 40 years of age.
Type II: The body makes insulin but can't use the insulin it makes. Type II is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes. Nine out of ten people with diabetes have Type II.
What complications does it cause?
Diabetes can cause many complications and can lead to serious health problems. Among them are:
- Circulation problems in legs and feet that could necessitate amputation
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Kidney failure
- Nerve damage
- Eye problems
- Infections
How can Sta-home Help?
1. Specialized nursing.
Sta-home has nurses who are certified in diabetes education and foot care and enterostomal nurses who are available for wound care. These nurses have a positive impact on diabetic patients, especially for those who are homebound. These specially trained nurses can help get diabetes under control, deal with complications as directed by the physician, and teach patient and family how to manage the disease on an ongoing basis.
2. Program for diabetes management.
Managing diabetes is possible. Working with the patient's physician, the Sta-home nurses specializing in diabetes care help helps implement the diabetes management program. The program is likely to follow the outline provided by the American Diabetes Association and usually involves:
- Frequent self-monitoring of blood sugar
- Careful meal planning
- Regular exercise or activity schedule
- Insulin plan for those who require it
- Oral medication plan for those needing it
- Instruction about preventing, recognizing, and dealing with complications
- Continuing education and reinforcement
- Periodic review of treatment goals
3. Diabetes education.
While in the home, the Sta-home nurse can collect important patient information, draw blood for glucose testing, give insulin or other medications, and look for signs of infection. The nurse's most important role in diabetes care, however, might be that of teacher.
The home is an excellent place for teaching patient and family about diabetes care. The professionals at Sta-home can see firsthand important aspects of the patient's daily life. These insights can make teaching more effective and can provide the patient's physician with important information.
The nurse will carefully review several topics with the patient and family, including:
- Medications
- Glucose monitoring
- Nutritional aids
- Weight control
- Careful control of blood pressure
- Foot care
- Use of insulin as well as how to give injections
The nurse will also discuss complications such as low blood sugar (known as hypoglycemia) and high blood sugar (known as hyperglycemia). Learning to avoid complications and what to do if they do occur prepares patients and their families to better cope with diabetes.
When the doctor, the home health care team, the patient, and the family work together, it is possible to successfully control diabetes, avoid serious health problems, and allows the patient to enjoy a better quality life.
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