Diabetes has been for a long time has been a problem for older adults in the society. In numbers, approximately twenty percent of individuals that over sixty-five years have diabetes and half them have not been diagnosed for the same. There are many misconceptions about diabetes, but basically that of the senior adults is not different from that of the younger groups, with a few exceptions.
Diabetes is manageable today through diet and exercise and a bit of pharmacological therapy is needed in many occasions to optimize glucose levels of the body.
The most recent data from the US census indicates that the elderly in America are increasing in number and one in every eight Americans are over 65. The estimates show that by 2020 one in every six Americans will be over 65 (Cooper, 1999, p. 2). This information is critical, Why? The Third National Health Examination Survey shows that 20 percent of the citizens aged between 65 and seventy-four are diabetic and one-half of them have not been diagnosed for the disease. This further fuels the motive to find a long lasting solution to the inherent problem.
Medical practitioners in the care and management for diabetes mellitus in the elderly have had to comply with the American Diabetes Association Standards of Car for Hospitalized patients. These are basically diet, exercise and pharmacological therapy.
