Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting older adults. People with type 2 diabetes often experience early functional limitations and reduced quality of life, as well as increased health care use and premature mortality when compared with people without the disease. Whether you live at a senior community living like Carlton Senior Living memory care or private homes, older adults often have at least one chronic condition such as high blood pressure or cognitive impairment that can impact diabetes treatment.

If an older adult has uncontrolled blood sugar or if care is not provided to the older individual with care given by family members or other caregivers in the home setting to ensure medications are taken properly and food has been consumed on time every day can predispose the frail elder to the complications of unmanaged diabetes and accelerated decline to nursing home placement or death in some cases due to hypoglycemia event occurrence.

The best independent living communities offer programs to help individuals support and manage diabetes and other chronic health conditions on their own as long as possible. In some states only assisted living communities and nursing homes are licensed to provide diabetic care services for the elderly residents so family plays an important role in planning long term care for diabetics and ensuring they are taking the right dose of medication 1 time a day with food at the same time each day to maintain good control of glucose reading in the fasting state and the postprandial state of older people with diabetes mellitus if home health care providers also work with the family and home care provider.

For instance, seniors with diabetes often find that eating healthier and exercising more can prove challenging. Those who move into a CCRC will likely benefit from the community’s increased focus on wellness and proper nutrition. As an added incentive to get moving and achieve a healthy weight some of the facilities will help arrange exercise classes or even provide a personal trainer to encourage elders to get involved with a fitness routine and boost their overall health and quality of life effectively delaying more serious health problems and managing chronic illnesses better. Managing diabetes is a big job, and can become increasingly difficult for older adults.

Fortunately for most elderly residents of CCRCs there are many specialized dietary services that offer assistance with meal planning and even assistance in preparation of the meals that will be eaten in the CCRC on a scheduled basis if possible allowing some semblance of independence for the mature adults in the group living situation who are also living with many other types of impairments like cognitive dysfunction.