The reason to care about testing is because by paying attention to the amount of sugar in the blood, we may actually save a diabetics’ life by preventing extreme events like crippling falls, dangerous disorientation, and severe comas.
Most diabetics take medication to help our body’s natural system of balancing the amount of sugar in our blood. And the medication science has given us is not perfect yet. So when our bodies are not chemically balanced--when the sugar in our blood is too high or too low--we have extreme events forced upon us. Stories about diabetics passing out, going into comas, and having accidents because of the diabetes are true.
So, when we care for a person with diabetes, we learn about living with these very real fears. And it is important that everyone realize that extreme events happen to diabetics even when doing our best to prevent them. That is why having diabetes is scary for all concerned. But even if you don’t have a clue about the complexities of the disease, help the aging diabetics you know by testing their blood sugar for them.
Routine doctor visits should always include a blood sugar test by medical personnel. But accidents due to unstable blood sugars in diabetics don’t usually happen at the doctor’s office. This is why family, friends, and caregivers who do blood testing every day will improve safety for the aging diabetics they love and serve.
SOURCE: National Council of Aging (Article Written by Laura Murphy Baillie)
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