Management of the older person with diabetes in the community

Abstract

As the incidence of diabetes increases in the UK, community nurses will have increasingly larger caseloads of elderly patients with diabetes. It is important that nurses assess the patient's understanding of the disease and its treatment. The aim of good diabetic control is to reduce morbidity from the complications of the disease. Factors that affect the patients' quality of life; the patients' ability to manage their condition; and the importance of providing education and support for both the patients and their carers are discussed. The importance of diet, blood glucose monitoring and taking diabetic medication appropriately are explained.