Our Favorite Diabetes Management Tips for Seniors

As a board-certified internist specializing in diabetes management and geriatric care, Dr. Garrigos and our team at Socrates A. Garrigos, MD, PA, in McAllen, Texas, know that diabetes is serious at any age — but older adults face unique challenges and an increased risk of complications.  

Whether you were diagnosed with the condition years ago or just yesterday, proper diabetes management is imperative to controlling the disease, protecting your health, and staying vital in older age. Here’s how to manage it. 

Diabetes in aging adults, by the numbers

More than 38 million adults in the United States have diabetes, a chronic disease that causes elevated blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body stops responding normally to insulin, is responsible for 90-95% of diabetes cases in the US.    

About 14% of Americans 18 and older have type 2 diabetes, but the condition is more common after the age of 45 — and most prevalent in older adults. More than one in four adults (29%) aged 65 and older has diabetes. What’s more, seniors account for nearly half of Americans with type 2 diabetes. 

Eight diabetes management tips for seniors 

While the most vital aspects of diabetes management — blood sugar tracking, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and medication — apply to everyone, certain aspects of diabetes care become more important with age. Let’s take a closer look:

1. Know your diabetes care plan

The actions you take to manage diabetes every day, backed by the support of lifestyle modifications, are crucial to controlling your blood sugar levels. Healthy living with diabetes starts with a comprehensive, detailed management plan tailored to you and easy to implement. 

2. Make healthy food choices 

The quality and quantity of the foods you eat directly affect your blood sugar levels. A diabetes diet is “carb smart,” emphasizing nutrient-dense, fiber-rich complex carbohydrates like legumes, sweet potatoes, whole grains, and whole fruits — and restricting glucose-spiking refined carbs. It also stresses portion control, lean proteins, and heart-healthy fats.   

3. Make exercise a daily habit  

Daily exercise is essential because regular physical activity boosts circulation, reduces inflammation, and improves insulin resistance. When you exercise, your muscles absorb sugar from your bloodstream without relying on insulin — that’s why it helps to take a 15-minute walk after a meal. 

Once our team gives you the go-ahead to start working out, set a goal to be active most days, aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week. Walking, swimming, water workouts, yoga, and tai chi are great options. 

4. Maintain a positive outlook 

For some older adults, the mental distress that accompanies a diabetes diagnosis can be an obstacle to daily blood sugar control and effective disease management. If you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed because of diabetes, we can help. 

It’s worth the effort: Cultivating a more optimistic outlook can go a long way in keeping you healthy. A recent study found that older adults with diabetes who take steps to improve their psychological resilience are more successful at controlling diabetes — and experience fewer hospitalizations and better physical functioning.   

5. Take your diabetes medications

Take your diabetes medications as prescribed, even when you’re feeling great. Let us know if you have any adverse side effects or trouble keeping track of or taking your medicine. We’re here to address medication concerns and keep you healthy.

6. Reach a healthier weight

Being overweight — especially with excess midsection fat — is a leading cause of low-grade systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Losing just 5-10% of your body weight helps improve insulin signaling and action, working with your diabetes medication to support better blood sugar control. 

7. Control your “health numbers”

Having diabetes elevates your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke, especially in older age. Unfortunately, having diabetes also increases your risk of developing high blood pressure (BP) and high cholesterol, the two top risk factors for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. 

Controlling your BP and cholesterol numbers is more important than ever when managing diabetes in older age. 

8. Have all your medical checkups  

Diabetes complications are more likely with age, even when the disease is well-controlled. Regular medical checkups help you catch problems early and protect your long-term health. In addition to your annual physical exam (wellness visit), we recommend a yearly: 

• Eye health exam
• Diabetic foot exam
• Kidney evaluation  

We also recommend a dental cleaning and exam every six months and two to four diabetes checkup visits per year. 

Gaining the upper hand over diabetes

Remember, diabetes isn’t a “set it and forget it” condition: It’s a chronic disease that requires an ongoing commitment to daily care, and we can help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at Socrates A. Garrigos, MD, PA, in McAllen, Texas, today.