If eating is erratic and a carer is present at each mealtime then fast acting insulin may be given after the meal, with the dose based on what has been eaten and determined from a simple sliding scale. If you are caring for an elderly person with diabetes and feel that this sort of approach would help with control then speak to the diabetes team about it. If you are caring for an elderly person with diabetes, then it is important that you know about hypoglycaemia. See Hypoglycaemia in the Diabetes Management section for more details. You should be able to recognise the symptoms and have a source of glucose to hand in order to treat it.
Symptoms are often more vague in the elderly person.
This is to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia, which could be dangerous to the elderly person. However, blood glucose control should be reasonable in order to avoid dehydration, which is common when the blood glucose level is high. High blood glucose levels increase the risk of complications and this should not be ignored in the elderly. Diabetes can be successfully managed in the elderly person. The person with diabetes and his or her carer should learn as much as possible about diabetes management.