Diabetes is a chronic condition where the body has too much glucose in the blood, and a diagnosis can be daunting for the individual and their loved one. Symptoms can be managed with medicine and lifestyle changes, and professional care at home can ease the burden on family carers.
At Country Cousins, our diabetes-trained carers are committed to helping you every step of the way. From practical to emotional support, you can have peace of mind knowing you’re receiving the best care and living your healthiest life.
Experienced and Trusted
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to produce insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that lets glucose from the food we eat pass from the bloodstream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood, so it is ready to be used by the cells. Without the body’s natural ability to produce and control the amount of insulin, the glucose in our bloodstream has nowhere to go.
Not being able to produce or use insulin effectively leads to elevated glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycaemia. Over a prolonged period, high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.
Types of diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but occurs most frequently in children and adolescents. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little or no insulin, which means that you need daily insulin injections to keep blood glucose levels under control.
Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make good use of the insulin that it produces.
The cornerstone of type 2 diabetes treatment is a healthy lifestyle, which includes regular physical activity and a balanced diet. However, over time, most people with type 2 diabetes will require oral drugs and/or insulin to keep their blood glucose levels under control.
In the U.K., 4.9 million people are now living with diabetes and there are an additional 850,000 living with type 2 diabetes, who are yet to be diagnosed.
Type 1 diabetes in more detail
Type 1 diabetes, sometimes also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition. In this condition, the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells and produce energy.
Several factors, including genetics and certain viruses, can cause type 1 diabetes. Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it can develop in adults.
Even after a lot of research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment is directed toward managing the amount of sugar in the blood by using insulin, diet, and lifestyle modifications to prevent complications, and usually involves daily insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes in more detail
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that impairs the way the body regulates and uses glucose. This results in too much glucose circulating in the bloodstream, eventually leading to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems.
In type 2 diabetes, there are primarily two interrelated problems at work: The pancreas does not produce enough insulin and cells respond poorly to insulin and take in less glucose.
There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but losing weight, eating well, and exercising can help reverse the disease. Sometimes diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage glucose levels, and diabetes medications or insulin therapy are needed.
What are the causes of diabetes?
Causes of Diabetes depend on whether the person has type 1 or type 2. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction, whereas type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors.
The following factors can also determine how likely someone is to get type 1 or type 2 diabetes:
- Genes
- Family history
- Ethnicity
- Health
- Environmental factors
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Although diabetes type 1 and type 2 are treated differently and can have different effects on the body, they do share similarities in symptoms:
In type 1 diabetes, symptoms are often sudden and can be life-threatening, so it is usually diagnosed within hours or days.
In type 2 diabetes, many people have no symptoms at all, while other signs can be subtle or go unnoticed, being passed off as part of ‘getting older’. By the time symptoms are noticed, complications from diabetes are often already present.
Common symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:
- Being thirstier than usual
- Passing more urine
- Feeling tired and lethargic
- Always feeling hungry
- Having cuts that heal slowly
- Itching and skin infections
- Urinary tract or fungal infections
- Blurred vision
- Unexplained weight loss (in extreme cases)
- Gradually putting on weight (type 2 diabetes)
- Mood swings
- Headaches and/or feeling dizzy
- Leg cramps
Early warning symptoms of diabetes
Most of the early symptoms of diabetes are caused by higher-than-normal blood sugar.
As both types of diabetes are serious conditions, you should contact your GP if you are noticing any of these early warning signs:
- Urinating a lot, especially at night
- Very thirsty
- Feeling more tired than usual
- Unexpected weight loss
- Genital itching or thrush
- Recurring fungal infections
- Cuts and wounds that take longer to heal
- Blurred vision
- Increased hunger
How does diabetes affect everyday life?
How Does Diabetes Affect Everyday Life?
The effect of diabetes on daily life depends on the type of diabetes and the severity of a patient’s condition. For example, long-term effects of diabetes can include damaged kidneys, eyes, gums, feet and nerves, which lead to secondary health complications. All types of diabetes require proper management and care.
Here at Country Cousins, we are very experienced in diabetes care and how it impacts daily life, having been providing live-in care for people with diabetes, and other complex care needs, for over 60 years. Our highly trained and professional live-in carers have diabetes training and care experience, so they can provide the best support to help manage the condition.
For most people with diabetes, drastic lifestyle changes aren’t necessary, but a large aspect of diabetes care relies on healthy eating and managing blood glucose levels. Keeping blood glucose levels within the recommended range can be challenging, as many factors can change your levels, sometimes unexpectedly.
Here are some important factors to incorporate into daily diabetes care and management:
A diagnosis of diabetes can be overwhelming and an added complication for someone who already has complex care needs. At Country Cousins, we have a wealth of experience in giving diabetes care. The professional carer we match you with can help you or your loved one manage diabetes through the implementation of a care plan. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help.
What are the care options for diabetes?
At Country Cousins, we specialise in providing live-in home care for chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and work with highly trained and experienced caregivers who can help you or your loved one manage a diabetes condition.
There are several ways that a Country Cousin carer can support a diabetes patient to live their best and healthiest life possible:
- Our compassionate and experienced carers will work with you to implement a support package that will be carried out in the comfort of your own home.
- We will match you with a Country Cousins carer who has plenty of experience caring for those with diabetes who can monitor blood sugar levels, manage the condition, and help to reduce the risk of developing further complications.
- Carers can prepare healthy and nutritious homemade meals that optimise health and manage blood sugar levels daily, supporting healthy body weight.
- Carers are there for emotional support and offer coping strategies and
companionship to nurture physical and emotional well-being. - Carers can assist in encouraging daily physical activity and help to monitor and manage a client’s weight, where appropriate.
How do I arrange diabetes care?
If your loved one is living with diabetes, we can match you with the perfect carer for your needs.
Our wealth of knowledge and expertise, along with the compassionate and professional carers we work with, are on hand to serve you. To understand more about how we can help you manage life with diabetes, get in touch today for a non-obligatory and free chat, either by calling 01293 224706 or through our online enquiry form.
