Care home staff should have the opportunity to access diabetes education free of charge to increase their knowledge and understanding of caring for people with diabetes.
Helping to prevent hypoglycaemia
Care home staff should have a named nurse or doctor specialising in the care of people with diabetes to call on for support in diabetes management, and so to help staff to work towards preventing hypoglycaemia in older people.
Meals time should be spread through the day and people with diabetes should be able to eat with the rest of the people they live with. If ‘spaced mealtimes’ are not possible due to the organisation within the home, then an early morning carbohydrate snack on rising, and a late evening carbohydrate snack needs to be given to prevent dipping blood sugars.
Medication for diabetes
Medication for diabetes and management of blood sugars should be recognised and given at mealtimes as prescribed.
People with low Hba1c blood tests should have their medications reassessed or stopped by their general practitioner.
If hypoglycaemic episodes are frequent or severe, then medications and general management including meal times and meal content need to be reassessed by a nurse specialist or doctor.
Reviewed March 2010
Next review September 2011