9 Things to Do When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Diabetes

Quick summary

Your parent has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and you're not sure how to help her handle this chronic condition. Here are nine things you can do right now to make sure her treatment is on track.

1. Offer support.

People react to a diabetes diagnosis in different ways. Some take it in stride. Others struggle with the information. Denial, fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, depression, and grief are all common responses. In time, the emotional roller-coaster will pass. For now, though, your parent needs your encouragement, empathy, patience, and understanding -- or just your ear so she can vent. It's important to listen without passing judgment or offering advice. Remember, too: While this is a serious problem, it's not insurmountable. You can assist your parent by staying positive yourself and helping her learn to manage her condition.

2. Find the health professionals she needs.

With a diabetes diagnosis, your parent will need to take a lot of responsibility for managing her condition. But she doesn't have to go it alone. A variety of healthcare providers -- including doctors, nurses, diabetes educators, dietitians, social workers, and others -- can help. Working together as a team, these professionals provide ongoing care, education, and support to help your parent live a healthy life with diabetes. You can help her line them up so she doesn't feel overwhelmed by the task.

3. Sign her up for a class.

There's a lot to learn about diabetes and its treatment. Find a diabetes education class taught by a certified diabetes educator and sign your parent up to help her figure out how to manage her condition, organize her treatment plan, and learn new skills. Even better: Go along with her, if you can, and educate yourself about the disease as well. Medicare and most health insurance plans cover this service; check with your parent's plan first to make sure.

4. Buy her a meter.

Talk with your parent's main diabetes doctor, diabetes educator, or pharmacist to help you find the blood glucose meter that best fits your parent's needs and budget. Medicare and most health insurers help pay for diabetes self-testing equipment and supplies, including meters, test strips, and lancets. Find out first what's covered under your parent's plan. And make sure both you and your parent get instruction on how to use a glucose meter from a health professional.

5. Help her make dietary changes.

You and your parent need to know how food affects her disease. She'll need to pay more attention to what she eats, when, and how much. Get a recommendation from her main diabetes health provider for a registered dietitian who can assist in planning meals for your parent. And if you're able to cook for your parent, go along to the appointment to learn how you can help make healthier meals.

6. Encourage her to get active.

Even modest amounts of movement can make a difference in managing this disease. So help your parent figure out ways to get up and get going. If you can, join your parent for a walk with the dog or for a round of golf (if the two of you can manage without it, don't use a cart!).

7. Figure out ways to keep medication records.

Your parent may need to take prescription drugs to help treat her diabetes. She may also need to take pills to manage other problems common in people with diabetes, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Or she may take medicines for other, unrelated ailments. Helping your parent remember to take all her drugs as directed can require a little advance planning. A sheet taped to the fridge, a logbook, an automated pill dispenser, or a computer software program could do the trick.

8. Look for a support group.

Check to see if your parent's local hospital or diabetes center offers a support group, and try to find one geared toward seniors. Her doctor or diabetes educator should be able to help with this. The Defeat Diabetes Foundation lists diabetes support groups in all 50 states. She could also find a virtual support group by searching using the keywords diabetes online support group.

9. Educate yourself.

It's not just your parent who needs to learn about this disease. If you want to be a valuable partner with her as she manages her condition, you'll need to get up to speed, too. So ask your parent to let you participate in visits with her primary diabetes care provider if you need more information or have questions about her diagnosis or treatment, or ask her to give her doctor permission to speak with you about it.

An authoritative guide to the disease can also be useful to read, although it won't be able to assess your mother's particular situation. The American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes, Diabetes for Dummies by endocrinologist Alan Rubin, or The Joslin Guide to Diabetes by Richard S. Beaser of the internationally renowned Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, are a few good choices.

Online resources include the website of the American Diabetes Association, the nation's leading health organization for diabetes research, resources, and advocacy; the National Diabetes Education Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, a service of the NIH. The more you learn, the more you'll be able to partner effectively with your mother to keep her as healthy as possible.