Important tips for managing diabetes at home
BY JOAN BROWN, RN, VNSNY
CHOICE HEALTH PLANS
According to the American
Diabetes Association,
one in four Americans age
65+ now lives with diabetes—
that makes it more important
now than ever to fi nd ways to
bridge the gap in diabetes control.
“Approximately one-third
of our patients have diabetes in
addition to their primary diagnosis,”
says Yael Reich, a nurse
diabetes specialist with the
Visiting Nurse Service of New
York (VNSNY) who advises
nurses on how to help patients
and health plan members with
diabetes manage their glucose
levels. “This means our nurses
are treating thousands of patients
with diabetes on any
given day.”
As a registered nurse and
diabetes educator with VNSNY
CHOICE Health Plans, my colleagues
and I know that every
day people with type 2 diabetes
are warned by their doctors
to monitor their diet and
stay active in order to control
blood sugar and maintain their
health. We know too how diffi -
cult it can be when they walk
out the offi ce door to follow the
advice. When they get home,
the kitchen shelves are stocked
with processed foods, white
rice and sugary cereals; it’s diffi
cult to fi nd fresh or affordable
produce in their neighborhood;
and a regular fi tness routine
is one of those things they just
never seem to get to.
Helping people better manage
their diabetes and supporting
them when lifestyle
changes are needed is one of
the most important things I do
as a registered nurse and care
coordinator. We have conversations
every single day about
how to apply “doctor’s orders”
at home and keep diabetes under
control for those who are at
risk or coping with the disease.
These strategies may be helpful
for you as well:
Shop Smart
You’ve heard it before, but
when shopping and planning
meals for yourself or a loved
one with diabetes it’s important
to remember:
• Eliminate refi ned sugar.
• Add fruits and vegetables
to the diet. If you can’t get
fresh, frozen is usually better
than canned (check labels for
sugars and sodium).
• Not all fruits are created
equal. Green means “go” for
certain fruits: greenish bananas
have less sugar than
deep yellow ones, and green
apples are better than red
ones. Avoid grapes and raisins,
which are high in sugar.
Bus ride to Resorts World
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 64 OVEMBER 8-14, 2019 BTR
• Stay away from white
fl our; choose brown rice and
whole-wheat pasta instead.
• Avoid salt and fat in cooking;
if you do use fat, olive oil
can be a great substitute for
less healthy fats like butter.
• Limit juices and avoid sodas
• Control portions and don’t
skip meals.
• Have sugary items such as
orange juice or hard candy on
hand at all times in case of an
emergency dip in blood sugar.
Focus on What
You CAN Have
As a caregiver for someone
with diabetes, you can limit
your role as naysayer by involving
your loved one in mealtime
decisions and preparation.
Remind them what they
can have in addition to what
they cannot. Offer meals that
are roasted or sautéed in olive
or canola oil rather than fried.
Think spices rather than salt
or sugary sauces. For a fi lling,
healthy alternative dish, try
legumes—lentils, chickpeas,
beans— rather than white rice,
which is high in carbohydrates.
There are plenty of diabetes-focused
cookbooks that are full
of helpful tips like these. Begin
with the simplest one to avoid
being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, don’t underestimate
the power of reward.
With portion control and safety
in mind, someone with diabetes
(and their caregiver!) can
indulge in a small treat now
and then—say, to celebrate a
good week. Think “fun-sized”
candy bar. You may fi nd, as our
nurses often do, that once the
good feeling of healthy eating
takes hold, a couple bites of a
sweet go a long way.
Steps in the
Right Direction
The directive “Get plenty of
exercise” can worry older people
living with diabetes if it conjures
up images of long jogging
excursions or lifting weights at
the gym. Instead, exercise can
be part of daily life. A walk in
the park or to the pharmacy or
a stroll through the apartment
hallways to get the mail all
count! When riding the bus, get
off a stop early and walk the extra
few blocks home. Take the
stairs instead of the elevator,
at least for a fl ight or two. Exercise
can even happen in front
of the television, with a series
of leg lifts or arm circles done
right in your chair.
Head to Toe Care
Diabetes is a systemic disease
that affects the whole body.
Pay careful attention to vision,
as diabetes-related damage to
delicate blood vessels in the eye
can cause problems. When caring
for someone with diabetes,
communicate often about how
well they are seeing. And be observant:
if your loved one used
to read the paper every day but
now leaves it untouched, ask
about their vision, and follow
up with a doctor if necessary.
Solutions for healthier living
truly begin at home—
speak with a health professional
if you have questions or
concerns about your risk for
diabetes. With the right home
care support, the tools for managing
your blood glucose levels
are within easy reach.
To learn more about health
plans that help elder New Yorkers
live more comfortably,
safely and independently in
their own homes, visit www.
VNSNYCHOICE.org or call
1-855-AT CHOICE (1-855-282-
4642). VNSNY CHOICE is affi
liated with the not-for-profi t
Visiting Nurse Service of New
York.
Learning to manage diabetes at home. Photo courtesy of the Visiting Nurse Services of New York
The Our Lady of the Assumption
Senior Group is sponsoring a bus trip
to the Resorts World Casino in the
Catskills on Wednesday, November 20.
The trip is a 1 1/2 hour ride.
The bus departs at 8:30 a.m. at Morris
Park Avenue between Colden and
Hone avenues in front of the Big Deal
Supermarket; and at 8:45 a.m. from
OLA Auditorium, Middletown Road
between Mahan and Parkview avenues
.
Tickets are $45 per person, with
a return of $25 in slot play and $15 in
food coupon. All are welcome.
Bus seating is according to date of
payment.
For more information and to reserve
your spot on the bus, call Fran
Arico at (718) 828-5073.
Little Sisters of the Poor Christmas Bazaar
Little Sisters of the Poor 2999
Schurz Avenue, will host their Annual
Christmas Bazaar on Saturday,
November 9, from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.; and on Sunday, November 10,
from noon to 2 p.m.
Included in the day’s event will
be raffl es, jewelry, a variety of gift
items, craft items, homemade baked
goods, good food, and much more.
Free admission and free parking.
49th Prection Sector A holds
Build The Block meeting
The NYPD offi cers serving your
community invite you to a discussion
of the public safety challenges
in our neighborhood on Thursday,
November 14, at Einstein College
of Medicine, inside Lubin Hall,
1200 Van Nest Avenue. The meeting
starts at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30
p.m. for light refreshments.
With Neighborhood policing, the
Neighborhood Coordination Offi -
cers (NCO’s), and the Steady Sector
Offi cers who work with them, have
been given more time and opportunity
to collaborate with residents
in identifying and solving local
quality of life conditions and crime
concerns. The same offi cers are assigned
to your community each day
so these offi cers learn the neighborhood,
its challenges, its potential,
and the people who call it home.
This is a new way of doing business
for the NYPD, and they need
your help to make it work. They
want to hear from a broad range
of voices about what it will take to
make all the residents of the neighborhood
feel safe and secure. Join
them for what they hope will be a
productive discussion.
For accommodations regarding
any disability call NCO Sgt. Ryan at
(917) 900-8819 or christophe.ryan@
nypd.org., 72 hours prior to the
event.
/VNSNYCHOICE.org
/www.VNSNYCHOICE.org
/www.VNSNYCHOICE.org
/nypd.org