Type 1, 90 year old might need carers - any advice?

[teatowels]

Hi I'm the daughter of a 90 year old diabetic.
I currently manage her blood sugar, she has one injection a day of a mixed insulin plus extra Novorapid if it looks like going above 20. She does the injections herself and has always managed her diabetes very well. We have Libre 2 so I can follow her blood sugar.
I was just wondering about any tips and pitfalls people might know about for when I might have to get carers in if I go away. The main thing is the daily injection because the District Nurses only start at 9am but she usually has her injection at 7.30am so she can wait an hour for it to really start working before she has breakfast. The mixed insulin is Humalog Mix25
My mum is very slight and eats like a bird.
Any tips or people's experience welcome tia

 

[Docb]

I come to this question from a different angle to most - that of the carer.

So, are you registered as your mothers carer? If you are not then I suggest you refer yourself to carer services in your area and get into the system. In this context a carer is simply somebody who somebody else is dependent on to live independently and being there only to manage your mums diabetes would be enough to make you her carer.

The quality of carer services is a bit of a post code lottery but you should get a carers assessment and one part of that assessment should look at the question you ask and help you to work out a contingency plan. The important thing is that the support worker who does the assessment should be familiar with what is or is not available in your area and save you a lot of time and the resultant anxiety if you have to find something in a hurry.

You find carer services by searching on line for "carer services" and "[YOUR] county council". This should you lead you who-ever provides carer support in your area with the process for referral to them. The ones I know of take self referrals.

If you are already registered then give your provider a shout and see what they have to say.

 

[teatowels]

I come to this question from a different angle to most - that of the carer.

So, are you registered as your mothers carer? If you are not then I suggest you refer yourself to carer services in your area and get into the system. In this context a carer is simply somebody who somebody else is dependent on to live independently and being there only to manage your mums diabetes would be enough to make you her carer.

The quality of carer services is a bit of a post code lottery but you should get a carers assessment and one part of that assessment should look at the question you ask and help you to work out a contingency plan. The important thing is that the support worker who does the assessment should be familiar with what is or is not available in your area and save you a lot of time and the resultant anxiety if you have to find something in a hurry.

You find carer services by searching on line for "carer services" and "[YOUR] county council". This should you lead you who-ever provides carer support in your area with the process for referral to them. The ones I know of take self referrals.

If you are already registered then give your provider a shout and see what they have to say.

Thank you very much. Are you a carer for diabetics? A really good social worker came to visit us today and recommended a local agency that looks good. It is early days yet. I am really happy that anyone can now follow my mum's blood sugar on their phone with LibrelinkUp app as that makes everything so much clearer and easier. Yes, I am her carer and I registered that fact with my GP and since then have been getting Carer's Assessments yearly.

 

[Docb]

No, I am a diabetic who is the registered carer for someone who does not have diabetes. I also volunteer for the organisation that provides carer services where I live.

Good to see that you are finding a way forward. Finding your way through local services can be extremely difficult - its almost as if they want to be obscure on purpose - and having the help of somebody who knows their way round can be invaluable.

 

[teatowels]

Thank you very much. Are you a carer for diabetics? A really good social worker came to visit us today and recommended a local agency that looks good. It is early days yet. I am really happy that anyone can now follow my mum's blood sugar on their phone with LibrelinkUp app as that makes everything so much clearer and easier.

 

[teatowels]

Thank you, that's definitely true!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @teatowels

It’s an interesting regimen your Mum is on. Does it generally work well for her? I’m very much of a “if it ain’t broke…” mindset where diabetes is concerned - particularly where people have adapted to a system over many years and changing it might be more upheaval that its worth!

However, mixed insulins are more usually taken twice a day at breakfast and evening meal times, as the ‘long acting’ part of them isn’t really designed to last much more than 12-14ish hours. The mealtime part of your Mum’s jab would also be waning by lunchtime, but that may suit your Mum’s smaller appetite?

I can see that adding extra injections might be tricky in your Mum’s case, if she isn’t able to do them herself. A more steady slow release basal/background insulin with extra rapid-acting top ups whenever your mum eats more significant amounts of carbs would be more flexible in glucose management terms, but sound like it would be less viable in others!

Hope you are able to find a system that works for both you and your Mum 🙂

 

[Thebearcametoo]

My mum is type 2 and in a care home. She’s under residential care at the moment and the district nurse comes in every day to do her basal. If she ends up needing bolus insulin she’ll have to move to the nursing unit.

As your mum’s doing her own insulin at the moment it might not be an issue but my experience as above is that carers won’t do insulin so it may be that there isn’t a perfect solution for if you’re away and the best you may be able to get for a couple of weeks is the district nurse.