OUR SERVICESFor the average person, glucose is nothing more than simple sugar found naturally in the blood. For the millions of people in the United States living with diabetes, elevated glucose is the enemy in a daily battle against life threatening and disabling complications.
However, the risks are directly related to how well the disease is controlled. Aggressive care from the onset has shown to actually help delay or even stop complications.
It’s important for individuals with diabetes to make a daily effort toward controlling their disease. With continuous developments in medicine and monitoring tools, managing diabetes is becoming easier to control.
Improved medications
Today, the standard in diabetes management is to use several drugs one at a time. This multi-step approach to pharmacology allows physicians to make adjustments that yield much tighter control of blood sugar levels.
For example, a new pre-mixed insulin, which combines long-acting insulin with rapid-acting insulin enables the person using it to only need to dose within 15 minutes of mealtime, so unexpected delays in meals are less likely to result in low blood sugar reactions.
Improved devices
Though a year or two away from general use, the insulin inhaler will allow powdered insulin to be delivered through an aerosol inhaler, much like some asthma medications. This is good news for those who currently require daily insulin injections.
Meters, too, are becoming more sophisticated and easier to use. A new watch-like device currently under investigation uses EKG-like electrodes to provide a series of readings at regular intervals over a 12-hour period. Other meters allow the user to obtain blood from the forearm instead of the fingertip.
Jewish Home Lifecare’s Long Term Home Health Care (LTHHC) program provides cutting edge technology to its Home Care clients, allowing for more consistent monitoring of patients’ blood glucose levels.
HealthMonitor
Supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Health, the program is piloting the use of a telemonitoring unit called HealthMonitor, a small, simple to use device that monitors client’s health from the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Each day, at a time convenient for them, the client uses the Health Buddy and answers a series of diabetes-focused questions such as “Have you checked your blood glucose level today?” Answers are sent by telephone line to the LTHHC coordinator’s computer. HealthMonitor has a glucometer attachment, which allows for transmittal of a patient’s blood glucose level directly to clinicians.
Best Pratices for managing diabetes
Along with the HealthMonitor, the Long Term Home Health Care program has established a diabetes best practice protocol ensuring all clients with diabetes receive appropriate care to maximize their health. It incorporates obtaining a Hemoglobin A1C value (which is an accurate measure of whether a person has controlled their blood sugar over the past 3 months) on all diabetic clients.
In addition to testing and monitoring a client’s A1C, a nurse provides a copy of our teaching packet ‘Managing Well with Diabetes.’ The Nurse reviews the information in the packet which includes instructions for proper foot care, signs and symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia, and the need for annual eye and podiatry exams. Providing educational tools and knowledge can help prevent many complications of diabetes.
To learn more about Long Term Home Health Care at Jewish Home Lifecare, call (212) 273-2500 in Manhattan or (718) 367-1125 in the Bronx.