1. Health
2. Diabetes

Help me manage diabetes treatment

• Article - Monitoring Blood Glucose: What You Should Know to Help a Parent with Diabetes

  Monitoring the blood glucose of a parent with diabetes helps identify which treatments work best. Here are the basics of blood glucose monitoring.

• Article - Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes: A Beginner's Guide

  A guide to the oral medications available to people with type 2 diabetes.

• Checklist - 10 People You Need on Your Diabetes Care Team

  Learn which doctors and other health specialists provide the medical help your parent with diabetes needs, and how to find them.

• Article - 9 Things to Do When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Diabetes

  A handy checklist of things you can do to help your parent when she's newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

• Article - How to Help Your Parent With Diabetes Follow Medication Recommendations

  Strategies to help you help your elderly parent take their diabetes medications on time and consistently.

• Article - 3 Acute Diabetes Complications You Can Help Your Parent Avoid

  Find out how to help your parent with type 2 diabetes avoid short-term complications such as low or high blood sugar (hypo- or hyperglycemia).

• Article - Type 2 Diabetes: A Beginner's Guide

  Learn the basics about type 2 diabetes -- its causes, complications, and management -- so you can help your parent after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

• Checklist - 10 Essential Diabetes Resources on the Web

  Ten trustworthy and invaluable websites that offer education and support for people with type 2 diabetes.

• Article - 2 Emergency Diabetes Complications You Can Help Your Parent Avoid

  Find out what you can do to help your parent with type 2 diabetes avoid two potentially life-threatening diabetes complications.

• Article - Managing Your Parent's Type 2 Diabetes: Coping With the 5 Toughest Challenges

  Learn about the toughest challenges seniors with type 2 diabetes face and find ways you can help your parent with diabetes overcome these obstacles.

• Article - How to Help Your Parent With Type 2 Diabetes Deal With Stress

  Effective strategies to help your parent with type 2 diabetes deal with stress.

• Checklist - 10 Health Checks Your Parent with Diabetes Needs

  Know the 10 types of medical checkups your parent with diabetes should have regularly, and which doctors should coordinate them.

• Article - 8 Ways to Help Your Parent With Diabetes Handle Sick Days

  Eight tips to help your parent with type 2 diabetes deal with illnesses.

• Checklist - 12 Items Your Parent With Diabetes Should Always Carry

  Help your parent with diabetes be prepared for medical emergencies when he's not at home: Know the 12 essentials he should always have with him.

Questions & Answers

• Question - How long does insulin last once it's been opened?

  How long does insulin last, and does it expire faster if not refrigerated? Here's expert advice on how long insulin lasts and how best to store it.

• Question - Can a new diabetes drug also help my mother lose weight?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my father deal with the "dawn phenomenon," or high blood sugar on awakening?

  Dawn phenomenon, having high blood sugar in the morning, is a common problem for diabetics. Get advice on dawn phenomenon treatment strategies.

• Question - Should I be concerned that my mom has lumps where she injects insulin?

  Lumps under the skin from insulin injections (lipohypertrophy) may appear in someone with diabetes. Insulin like Novolog or Humalog might avoid these.

• Question - How can I help my parent figure out when her blood sugar is too high?

  Blood sugar needs to be monitored often when someone has type 2 diabetes. How do you help a person with diabetes keep track of glucose levels?

• Question - Does it matter when my dad takes his diabetes pills?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can I do to get my mom to take her diabetes pills, which she doesn't think are keeping her blood sugar in check?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does stress affect my parent's blood sugar levels?

  My mom is diabetic and has a tendency to get upset and anxious. Does stress have an impact on her blood sugar level, and if so, what can I do to help?

• Question - Should my dad, who’s scheduled to have an operation unrelated to his diabetes, keep up his normal diabetes routine?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I handle my dad's denial about his diabetes?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What's an A1c test and why is it important for my dad to take it?

  A diabetes expert gives you the scoop on A1c tests and why your parent with diabetes might need one.

• Question - My parent’s blood sugar is going up and down from 275 to 43 on metformin and glipizide, what should we do?

  When blood sugar goes up and down on Metaglip, what does it mean? Diabetes patients must see their doctor when blood sugar goes up and down wildly.

• Question - How can I help my mother handle low blood sugar incidents?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What precautions should my dad, who has type 2 diabetes, take when traveling?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What's carbohydrate counting and should my dad do it?

  A diabetes expert gives you the scoop on why your parent might want to count carbohydrates and what carb counting means.

• Question - What is insulin resistance?

  What "insulin resistance" means, how it affects people with type 2 diabetes, and what you can do to treat the condition.

• Question - Should my father, who has type 2 diabetes, avoid carbohydrates?

  Explains whether it's okay to cut out carbs completely to quickly lower blood sugar following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Take Care When Choosing Over-the-Counter Drugs

  Many over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as cough...

• Tip - Safely Dispose of Used Diabetes Sharps

  Advice on how to safely dispose of used needles and lancets for people with diabetes and their caregivers.

• Tip - How to Take the Ouch Out of Blood Sugar Testing

  Checking blood sugar levels to keep type 2 diabetes...

• Tip - Medicare Coverage for Your Parent With Diabetes

  Find out what diabetes services and supplies are covered under Medicare.

• Tip - Correctly Trim the Toenails of Your Parent With Diabetes

  Advice for people with diabetes and their caregivers on how to correctly cut toenails.

• Tip - Easier Injecting With Insulin Pens

  An insulin pen may be the sharp of choice for the elderly with diabetes who need to inject insulin.