libre 2 continuous monitoring V reader for older people - how can my mum check her own blood sugar + remote monitoring

[LexyT]

Hello, I'm new to this site so apologies if this has been asked before and apols for the long technical post - but I'm hoping another family/ carer/ member might have been in the same situation.

My mum is 74 and has been a Type 1 diabetic for 68 years. She lives alone. She's always managed her diabetes well. But now, as a result of diabetic retinopothy and increased confusion she is managing less well.

She has a libre 2 sensor and reader, which she can use. But I want to switch her to using the app because then I could monitor her blood sugars remotely and be alerted if she was about to have a hypo (I am doing this because 10 days ago she had a serious hypo and hit her head and was unconscious, we think, for several hours).

However, to get the continuous monitoring (which can be viewed remotely) she has to scan the arm sensor with the phone first. If she does this she cannot use the reader.

She has an iPhone (which I use for her shopping etc), but she is not good with technology and cannot use the phone to check her blood sugars - she just can't figure out how to do it.

She can use the reader, but if you scan the reader first you can't get the continuous monitoring - so I'm between a rock and a hard place. I want her to be able to get her own blood sugars without calling me, because that's how she knows how much fast acting insulin to inject when she eats, but she needs more help. Really I want a bluetooth enabled continuous reader - but that doesn't exist.

Questions:

- Has anyone managed to use the Echo Dot/ Alexa or similar to ask "Alexa what is my blood sugar"? She might be able to do this
- Does anyone use the Libre 2 continuous monitor with an Apple Watch - I wondered if there was an option to have the blood glucose level present all the time on the face of it?
- Any other ideas really.

If you got this far...thank you!

 

[Inka]

Welcome @LexyT 🙂 I’ll tag @Bruce Stephens because he’s good with stuff like this. I use the Dexcom so can’t help unfortunately.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

However, to get the continuous monitoring (which can be viewed remotely) she has to scan the arm sensor with the phone first. If she does this she cannot use the reader.

I thought that had changed, that you can now start a sensor with the phone but still also use the reader? You then get the alarms (and continuous readings) on the phone, but presumably that's what you'd want. (I haven't actually tried that. I use Juggluco on an Android phone which works rather differently, but people have said that it's now possible to start with either the reader of the phone and to use both (with the constraint that you can only get alarms on the device used to start the sensor). It used to be that you had to start a sensor with the reader to use both the reader and phone, in which case the reader would get the alarms.)

 

[rebrascora]

I thought that had changed, that you can now start a sensor with the phone but still also use the reader? You then get the alarms (and continuous readings) on the phone, but presumably that's what you'd want. (I haven't actually tried that. I use Juggluco on an Android phone which works rather differently, but people have said that it's now possible to start with either the reader of the phone and to use both (with the constraint that you can only get alarms on the device used to start the sensor). It used to be that you had to start a sensor with the reader to use both the reader and phone, in which case the reader would get the alarms.)

I am not sure that it has changed although I think the Libre 3 may have that functionality. My current sensor comes to an end on Sunday, so I will experiment and start it with my phone and see if the reader will also work. Hope I am not cursing as I personally hate using my phone for Libre as it is so much less convenient and less reliable..... but I should really give it a go and find out if things have changed, so that I can adjust my advice to people, if my current advice is outdated.

 

[Lucyr]

If she doesn’t go out much, and doesn’t use the phone for anything else, can you set the phone that is reading her blood sugars up so that it is plugged in, on a stand (perhaps next to where she sits, where she can see it), and left on the libre app screen with the screen set to always on. Then she doesn’t need to do anything but look at it to see her blood sugars.

Or if she knows to keep the phone that is linked to libre with her when she moves around the house, does anyone you know have an old spare phone or tablet that you could setup as above to follow herself, so that it’s left on and she can go and look at it to check her bgs.

I’m assuming that if she goes out someone else is with her and could help her use the phone.

 

[Lucyr]

Does anyone use the Libre 2 continuous monitor with an Apple Watch - I wondered if there was an option to have the blood glucose level present all the time on the face of it?

Oh sorry I missed this question. I do use an Apple Watch with GluRoo (workaround app) which follows my libre and has the bg on the watchface through a calendar complication. I can’t see it being suitable for older people as it’s quite small

 

[Lucyr]

Oh you could look at this too. It’s again with GluRoo, I’ve just set it up and it worked. On my iPhone I said “hey siri get blood sugar” and it spoke my bg to me without me opening anything.

Install GluRoo on the iPhone. Put in the libre follower account details. Then once you have the glucose values coming into GluRoo, follow the link below to set up the Siri shortcut. I keep the GluRoo alarms off and just use the libre app ones. You need to keep both libre and GluRoo open in the background and it only works when you have internet.

Using Siri Shortcuts with Gluroo to Check Blood Glucose Levels

Gluroo empowers you to effortlessly monitor your blood glucose levels. Learn how to set up the "Get Blood Sugar" Siri shortcut.

gluroo.com

 

[grovesy]

My reader does not allow scanning of sensor started by the phone. Has not done since it changed to contious monitoring capability was introduced.

 

[JJay]

Another 3rd party app which might help is Sweet Dreams. It works in a similar way to Gluroo, by utilising LibreLinkup. I can get readings on my Apple Watch like this (using X-large watch face) which is a godsend at night when I haven’t got my specs on!

 

[LexyT]

I thought that had changed, that you can now start a sensor with the phone but still also use the reader? You then get the alarms (and continuous readings) on the phone, but presumably that's what you'd want. (I haven't actually tried that. I use Juggluco on an Android phone which works rather differently, but people have said that it's now possible to start with either the reader of the phone and to use both (with the constraint that you can only get alarms on the device used to start the sensor). It used to be that you had to start a sensor with the reader to use both the reader and phone, in which case the reader would get the alarms.)

Hi Bruce, thanks so much for taking the time to write. The problem is that to have the continuous monitoring you have to scan the phone first - then the reader won't work. For the reader to work you have to scan that first - then the phone works to scan in the same way as the reader, but it won't continuously monitor - at least on the libre 2, see Abbott website here.

 

[LexyT]

Oh you could look at this too. It’s again with GluRoo, I’ve just set it up and it worked. On my iPhone I said “hey siri get blood sugar” and it spoke my bg to me without me opening anything.

Install GluRoo on the iPhone. Put in the libre follower account details. Then once you have the glucose values coming into GluRoo, follow the link below to set up the Siri shortcut. I keep the GluRoo alarms off and just use the libre app ones. You need to keep both libre and GluRoo open in the background and it only works when you have internet.

Using Siri Shortcuts with Gluroo to Check Blood Glucose Levels

Gluroo empowers you to effortlessly monitor your blood glucose levels. Learn how to set up the "Get Blood Sugar" Siri shortcut.

gluroo.com

Thanks so much @Lucyr! This is incredibly useful and sounds like it would be so helpful!

 

[LexyT]

Another 3rd party app which might help is Sweet Dreams. It works in a similar way to Gluroo, by utilising LibreLinkup. I can get readings on my Apple Watch like this (using X-large watch face) which is a godsend at night when I haven’t got my specs on!

@JJay - This looks ideal! I think she would be able to see this if it was illuminated. Sounds like a stupid quesrion but do you have libre link on the watch or on the iphone, which then links to the watch?

 

[LexyT]

My reader does not allow scanning of sensor started by the phone. Has not done since it changed to contious monitoring capability was introduced.

Yes, frustratingly this is what we also found

 

[LexyT]

If she doesn’t go out much, and doesn’t use the phone for anything else, can you set the phone that is reading her blood sugars up so that it is plugged in, on a stand (perhaps next to where she sits, where she can see it), and left on the libre app screen with the screen set to always on. Then she doesn’t need to do anything but look at it to see her blood sugars.

Or if she knows to keep the phone that is linked to libre with her when she moves around the house, does anyone you know have an old spare phone or tablet that you could setup as above to follow herself, so that it’s left on and she can go and look at it to check her bgs.

I’m assuming that if she goes out someone else is with her and could help her use the phone.

Honestly I didn't even know you could set the screen to always on. I say she's not great with tech, but I have to admit it's not my strongest point either! Thanks again

 

[LexyT]

Another 3rd party app which might help is Sweet Dreams. It works in a similar way to Gluroo, by utilising LibreLinkup. I can get readings on my Apple Watch like this (using X-large watch face) which is a godsend at night when I haven’t got my specs on!

Do you know if it's possible to remove the time and just have the blood glucose reading on? I'll read up...

 

[Lucyr]

Honestly I didn't even know you could set the screen to always on. I say she's not great with tech, but I have to admit it's not my strongest point either! Thanks again

On my iPhone its

Settings
Display and brightness
Autolock
Never


You wouldn’t want to use that setting with a phone you carry about with you though. Only if you found a spare phone that you could install LibreLinkUp on and leave plugged in, in the house, so that all she does is look at it and never need to touch it.

 

[LexyT]

On my iPhone its

Settings
Display and brightness
Autolock
Never


You wouldn’t want to use that setting with a phone you carry about with you though. Only if you found a spare phone that you could install LibreLinkUp on and leave plugged in, in the house, so that all she does is look at it and never need to touch it.

Yes, the phone (unfortunately!) never leaves the house with her. But if I connect her up to the continuous monitoring it may need too. Do you know if you have have libre link both on an ipad (which could, from what you are saying, be always open on the "current blood sugar" page) AND libre link on the phone that she would keep with her (and be able to be locked?)

 

[Lucyr]

Yes, the phone (unfortunately!) never leaves the house with her. But if I connect her up to the continuous monitoring it may need too. Do you know if you have have libre link both on an ipad (which could, from what you are saying, be always open on the "current blood sugar" page) AND libre link on the phone that she would keep with her (and be able to be locked?)

Yes definitely

The iPhone she keeps with her install librelink on. It’s a yellow icon.

Then the iPad in the house install LibreLinkUp app on. It’s orangey colour icon, and the same “follower” app that you use. Use your follower account details on the iPad, you can open the app, do the never Lock Screen thing, and just leave it plugged in.

The iPad app will display in portrait mode, even if it’s landscape. If you have an iPad available you should be able to download it and test it out at your house to see what I mean and whether it would work for her.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

For the reader to work you have to scan that first - then the phone works to scan in the same way as the reader, but it won't continuously monitor - at least on the libre 2, see Abbott website her

Yes, that's my understanding. I was mentioning it because I was sure someone had commented that that had changed: that you could now start a sensor with the phone and then also use the reader to scan it. But perhaps that was Libre 3, or perhaps I misremembered (or the commenter got it wrong).

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, that's my understanding. I was mentioning it because I was sure someone had commented that that had changed: that you could now start a sensor with the phone and then also use the reader to scan it. But perhaps that was Libre 3, or perhaps I misremembered (or the commenter got it wrong).

You didn't misremember Bruce, as I got into a quite heated discussion with the person over it because, despite the fact that they didn't use a reader, they were adamant that it is now possible to start a sensor with the phone and use both. I still really don't think it is, but I will give it a go this weekend just to confirm one way or another, much as I absolutely hate the phone app and having to carry my phone with me all the time and remember to charge the phone every night. 🙄