Taking Care Of A Diabetic Parent? How Hiring An In-Home Nurse Can Help

If you have an elderly parent that lives with you, you may be his or her caregiver—especially if he or she has an illness like diabetes. However, according to WebMD, a lot of caregivers are at risk for depression, because their role causes daily stress and causes them to neglect their own needs. You may not feel like you have the time to help your parent if you work, go to school, need to run errands, etc.

One way to reduce the stress of caregiving is by hiring an in-home nurse. Medicaid or your parent's insurance may cover some or all of the services of a caregiver, so it's worth looking into. Here are a just a few ways in-home nursing can help.

They Can Check Your Parent for Sores

A common problem that diabetics deal with is peripheral neuropathy—a condition that damages the body's nerves. This means that your parent may not perceive pain or feeling in his or her limbs if they're injured. These injuries may go unattended and develop into infected ulcers. And since diabetics tend to heal slowly, these little sores could develop into major problems that could require hospitalization.

So, an at-home nurse can be extremely helpful, since he or she can check your parent over each day to make sure that there are no open-sores, bruises, or other injuries that could be infected.

They Can Help Your Parent Manage His or Her Diet

An at-home nurse can help your parent stick to a diet that

  • Has more fiber
  • Has fewer calories
  • Has more fruits and veggies
  • Has fewer sugars and refined carbohydrates

The at-home nurse may work together with a dietician or a primary care physician to make sure that your parent's diet is correct and help to maintain proper blood-sugar levels.

They Can Help Your Parent with Shots and Medications

If your parent needs to take medications or insulin shots to manage his or her blood sugar, then the at-home nurse can help him or her do so. This can be a great help since you or your parent may not feel comfortable administering injections yourself.

They Can Help Your Parent with Low-Impact Exercise

If your parent is in fairly good physical condition, then his or her doctor might've recommended exercise. An at-home nurse can accompany your parent on walks or help him or her perform other low-impact exercises. Plus, the at-home nurse can check your parent's blood sugar level before and after any activity. He or she can monitor vitals, like respiratory rate and blood pressure, to make sure that your parent isn't overdoing it.

Contact a home health service provider in your area for more information today.


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