As the person you care for gets older, they may need to adjust their blood glucose monitoring routine, take different medications, or look after other health conditions together with their diabetes.
They may also need extra help with some or all of the day-to-day tasks that are part of managing diabetes.
You are not alone in figuring out how to help. You, the person you care for and their health professionals can plan how you can best support them together.
Daily tasks you can help with
How you can help with glucose monitoring
When to monitor glucose levels
Government support
Information and support
Supporting an older person to manage their diabetes day-to-day may include helping them with:
Glucose monitoring, or checking the level of glucose in the blood, helps people make decisions to do with their diabetes throughout the day. These decisions include the foods that they eat and the physical activity they do.
A person’s target blood glucose range and the way they monitor their glucose levels may change with age. Not everyone with type 2 diabetes will need to check their blood glucose levels.
Learn more about diabetes and glucose monitoring.
Speak to the person you care for, or one of their healthcare team, to find out if they have an individualised diabetes management plan.
This plan will say how often they should monitor their glucose and their target blood glucose range. These goals are decided by the person you care for and their health professional(s).
Ask the person you care for if they are registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). The NDSS offers subsidised diabetes products, such as blood glucose monitoring strips and educational programs.
My Aged Care is the starting point for accessing Australian Government-funded services. These include care in a residential aged care facility or at home, including transport, help with meals or cooking and more.
The person you care for may be eligible if they are 65 and older, or 50 and older if they are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
Managing diabetes as you age
An information booklet to help people manage their diabetes as they grow older.
Caring for someone with diabetes
Healthy eating and food choices for older people living with diabetes.
Healthy eating as you age
Understand type 1 diabetes, how to manage it and where to get support.
Visit our dedicated web pages with information, resources and support for people as they age.
Diabetes Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this Country. We recognise their connection to land, waters, winds and culture. We pay the upmost respect to them, their cultures and to their Elders, past and present. We are committed to improving health outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by diabetes and those at risk.
