Tips for Management of Diabetes in Elderly

·        Most elderly diabetics suffer from type-2 diabetes which does occur in adulthood.

·        Regular physical activity plays an important role in management of diabetes.

·        Brisk walking for 30-40 min or eqvilent physical activity in the house is the first medicine of the day.  Preferably go for walk daily at the same time of the day and warm up (slow walking) before you start brisk walk.

·        Never be barefooted since foot problem are a major challenge for diabetes.

·        Always carry candies or sugar with you when you go out or for walking.

·        Stop experience if you have feeling of faintness, palpitation or chest pain.

·        Practice yoga (asanas and pranayamam) and meditation to reduce the mental stress.

·        Food can be a powerful dietary approach to diabetes.

·        Diets with low carbonydriate and fat keep a person close to their ideal healthy weight.

·        Take small frequent meals and never delay your meals.

·        Fasting and feasting is dangerous for diabetics.

·        Eat only cooked vegetables and fresh fruits

·        Main source of meal should be cereals, mixed coarse grains, whole pulses and salads.

·        Meal plan should include 3 main meals of 400cal per meal and 2 snacks of 250cal per snack.

·        Your diet should include 20-35g of fibre and 50g of protein.

·        Avoid sweets, honey, soft drinks, fruit juices, jams, salty foods, fast foods, roots & fibre and very sweet fruits such as mango, grapes, pineapple, sapota, banana, and custard apple.

·        Eat fruits such as apple, orange, jamun, guava, papaya, pear, peaches, plums, apricots & amla.

·        Use your oils (sunflower, groundnut & soyabean) in rotation or use mixture or sunflower oil and soyabean oil in 1:1 ratio.

·        Select low glycemic  (whole wheat & pulses) high protein (nuts) and high fibre (vegetable & greens) foods for regular consumption.

·        Prefer fish for meat & poultry and vegetable oils for ghee and butter.

·        Use of artificial sweetness in limited quantity.

·        Do not drink very cold water.

·        Regular consumption of alcohol more than one peg leads to peripheral neuropathy.

·        Do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach or shortly after taking insulin or diabetic medicine.

·        Diabetics should avoid alcohol.

·        Smoking and use of tobacco should be prohibited.

·        Diabetics should take drugs regularly as advised by the doctor.

·        Do not change the drug dose with the change in your meal size (small meal or over eating).

·        25g of fenugreek seed (Methi seeds) powder per day in the morning in addition to the regular medicine helps blood sugar under control.

·        Do not inject air into the insulin bottle before drawing up your dose.

·        Regularly check up blood sugar and serum lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) once in 3 months to ensure confidence in health.

·        Monitor glycosilated heamoglobin (HbA1c) once in 6 months to know the status of control of diabetes.

·        Diabetics should consult diabetologist or podiatrist at least once a year to check the status of circulation of blood and nerve function in the legs.

·        Develop positive attitude and healthy life style.

·        If you are not diabetic at 60yrs of age but with family history of type-2 diabetes, prevent diabetes through diet, physical activity and by maintaining ideal weight.

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