Elder Care Cafe

The day before Thanksgiving, Edna Parker, the oldest living person in the world at 115, passed away.
After reading of Edna’s demise, I searched for longevity stats to see what the national life expectancy is at this time. I found the site About.com. Longevity, and was surprised to come across an article titled Life Expectancy Declines in [...]

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As diabetics soon find out, the importance of maintaining a proper blood sugar level is paramount to staying healthy as long as possible. Continuing the steps diabetics can take to insure proper blood sugar results must include planning.
Plan how to keep within the proper numbers by discussing strategies with the health care provider or diabetic [...]

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By definition, diabetes means too much glucose, or sugar, in the blood. The body stores glucose in its cells for later use as energy. When the glucose does not or cannot enter the cells, too much glucose remains in the blood, and the cells are unable to function as they should. The body is then [...]

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According to Senior Journal, a recent Florida study shows patients with both diabetes and depression have a 36% to 38%  increased risk of dying from any cause. Depression is suspected in many deaths, especially among older people.
A call went out recently to all heart patients to be tested for depression.  Researchers believe depression puts people at a greater risk of complications from diabetes.
Findings [...]

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It is very important to keep a regular schedule of appointments with your loved one’s care provider team. At least once or twice a year, or even more often, special tests may be ordered by the physician or others on the team.
For example, your loved one may see a cardiologist if there are heart problems [...]

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As we continue the good diabetic care checklist, it is important to remember each case is unique. Every diabetic has a different history and it is important that the medical team has documented evidence of important information at hand.

Each person should seek medical attention for individual needs rather than try to survive on information [...]

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Continuing the series on keeping a checklist for good diabetic care, we will provide a list you can use on a daily basis. You may need to make adjustments for your particular situation, but this list will get you started.
 Use the following list to help insure proper daily care:
 Every Day

Follow a healthy eating plan. Usually [...]

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Caring for a diabetic, as with many diseases, is a team effort. To repeat a quote often used in recent years; it takes a village.
There are a number of steps caregivers can take to insure their loved one remains as healthy as possible under their current condition.
 
The first step is to rally the team. Keep [...]

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Coffee and caffeine have taken a bad rap for many years.
Although coffee can temporarily raise heart rate, blood pressure and, in high doses, cause insomnia, recent studies show it probably does not contribute to heart disease.
Coffee may not be good for the heart, but it is not bad either.
 Moreover, follow-up studies now refute [...]

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A recent article at WebMD discusses long term or severe diabetes and the increased risk of memory loss.  Those who develop the disease before age sixty-five also may develop mild but noticeable problems.
Click on the WebMD link to read the article.
WebMD has a wealth of information for caregivers and others interested in any health-related issue. Check out [...]

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