Each year many seniors are diagnosed with prediabetes. If detected early, seniors can be prevented from developing prediabetes into type 2 diabetes. A few dietary and lifestyle alterations can help seniors stave off diabetes and enhance their overall well-being and quality of life.
Things can get challenging for seniors when it comes to maintaining a high quality of life, but professional Home Care Northern Kentucky providers help seniors fulfill this aim by encouraging focus on lifestyle choices, which increases the chances of leading a longer and healthier life.
Here are some significant indications of prediabetes in seniors.
-
Rapid Weight Loss
If your senior loved one loses more than just a few pounds in a week, consider scheduling an immediate appointment with their doctor. Rapid weight loss doesn’t only represent prediabetes but can be caused by other health issues like cancer. Dropping unnecessarily excess weight in a very short time increases the risk of chronic fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, anxiety, and depression. Keeping track of your loved one’s daily calorie consumption will help detect variations in their weight.
-
Extreme Thirst
The signs of prediabetes begin to appear when seniors have a surplus of sugar in their blood. The human body tries to flush out excess sugar, resulting in dehydration. Therefore to prevent dehydration, your loved one must drink plenty of water throughout the day and limit consumption of alcohol, soda, or sugary beverages. Eliminating them may be a better option, as these can lead to excessive thirst and put the elderly at a higher risk of developing diabetes.
-
Tingling Sensations and Numbness
Unusually high sugar levels in the blood can damage nerve endings in feet and arms. Many seniors feel unusual numbness or tingling sensations in their feet and hands before the nerves are permanently damaged. Consider switching your loved one to healthy diet and wearing compression clothes to avert nerve damage. Therapeutic shoes can also be beneficial in protecting feet without hindering circulation.
-
Frequent Urination
When the bloodstream carries too much sugar, the kidneys begin to increase urine production. Many seniors take this symptom lightly as frequent urination does not always indicate type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, it can cause secondary complications like chronic dehydration and kidney stones. Seniors who face frequent urination should consider avoiding diuretics like tea, coffee, and alcohol.
-
Extensive Healing Period
Seniors whose wounds do not heal completely or take too long to heal may have prediabetes. High blood sugar slows down blood circulation and will lead to extensive healing times for the skin. Bacteria and fungi accumulate in the skin when wounds remain unhealed and lead to skin infections. Controlling blood sugar levels is the best way to prevent this from happening.
-
Extreme Fatigue
One of the most important warning symptoms of prediabetes in older adults is a persistent feeling of exhaustion or fatigue. Seniors with persistent, unexplained fatigue may benefit from a prediabetes screening because this disease is often a typical sign of other, more serious health issues. People with prediabetes generally report increased fatigue because their bodies are unable to use glucose as an energy source.
-
Vision Distortion
You should check your older relative’s blood sugar if they’re having problems seeing properly; high blood sugar levels or prediabetes could be to reason. Because we need to rule out any potential underlying concerns, getting a checkup is necessary. If a person has high blood sugar, fluid will be drawn out of the lenses of their eyes, which can cause blurred vision or the inability to focus on items that are close by.
-
Recurring Yeast and Bacterial Infections:
When a person has diabetes, their immune system is impaired, making fighting against infections like yeast and bacteria more difficult. This makes it more likely that the person will become sick. Because yeast grows so quickly in situations like these, senior citizens who have high blood sugar have a greater chance of contracting a yeast infection.
Help your loved one prevent the risk of diabetes by eating a healthy and well-balanced diet. If you need to learn how to help your loved one stay healthy in their senior years, consider consulting reputable Northern Kentucky Home Care providers, who will not only encourage healthy eating habits but will also help them boost the overall quality of life and age in place.
