6. Tell the doctor about all medical conditions. Most older adults have other medical conditions in addition to diabetes, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Make sure the patient's main diabetes doctor is aware of all illnesses, chronic conditions, allergies, or surgeries, and work with his diabetes healthcare team to set treatment goals for his care that complement his overall healthcare.
7. Keep a current medication list. Older adults with diabetes are at an increased risk for drug side effects and drug interactions, especially as the number of medications increases. Make sure the person in your care keeps an up-to-date medication list and that he brings it with him every time he sees any healthcare provider. Include every prescription medication and over-the-counter drug, vitamin, and herbal or homeopathic treatment and their dosages.
For example, many common medications used to treat high blood pressure also raise blood glucose. Other drugs, either on their own or by interacting with oral diabetes drugs that lower blood glucose, can make diabetes remedies more potent and lower blood glucose to dangerously low levels.
If the person you're caring for starts on a new medication and suddenly finds his blood glucose is significantly higher or lower than usual, ask his doctor to check out the possibility that the new medication is causing the unwanted effect. It's also important to check blood sugar more often after starting on a new drug for this reason.
8. Stick with one pharmacy. If possible, use the same pharmacy for all prescriptions. By having a complete record of all medications, the pharmacist can alert you, the patient, and his healthcare providers to possible interactions.
9. Report any side effects. A patient should report any side effects from medications to his healthcare provider and include the following details: how long they lasted, how severe they were, and what medications and what dosages he was taking at the time.
10. Compare prices. Costs can vary widely for different drugs at different places. Call around to a few pharmacies to find the best price for the pills, and ask your regular pharmacist to match a cheaper price if necessary. Some diabetes drugs are available in generic form; check with the pharmacist.
