How to keep diabetes under control in dementia

Dementia, in its many forms, is now recognized as a widespread condition. This profound memory loss can affect anyone and poses significant challenges when combined with diabetes. Caregivers must be thoroughly prepared to manage these complexities.

Dementia and diabetes are a combination that makes self-treatment almost impossible, because diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes, requires constant monitoring and correction of glucose levels and thus constant action. This is usually too much for people with dementia, they simply forget. The risk of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia increases and secondary diseases threaten.

According to the Federal Office of Public Health, around 153,000 people in Switzerland live with dementia. Every year, around 32,900 new cases are diagnosed, often in people who are already of advanced age.

The care of people with dementia should be entrusted to professional carers or family members with a good understanding of how to care for their loved one. The aim is to maintain quality of life and avoid hypoglycaemia. Older people often lose their ability to walk safely and are therefore at increased risk of falling. If this is combined with hypoglycaemia, which usually also clouds consciousness, the risk increases many times over.

Even without dementia, older people often find their diabetes treatment a challenge. That is why the treatment plan should be as uncomplicated as possible. The primary aim is to avoid hypoglycaemia, and then to prevent secondary diseases. An automated insulin delivery system that is programmed to keep blood sugar within the desired target range can provide great relief.

The onset of dementia is often accompanied by a neglect of diabetes management, posing a significant challenge for family doctors, relatives, and caregivers. Ensuring that individuals with diabetes and early-stage dementia monitor their blood sugar levels becomes crucial.

As dementia progresses, however, there may come a point at which they have to hand over their diabetes management to others. Instead, carers can use monitoring functions to keep an eye on glucose levels on their own mobile phone. It is also possible to set up notifications that will sound an alarm when a certain glucose level is reached. This means that the carer is informed in good time and can take corrective action.

It is almost impossible to predict how dementia will develop and what behavior will result from it. That is why people with diabetes and their families should talk about treatment options and make arrangements in the early stages. It is a great help for those affected, but also for their families and carers, if treatment wishes have been recorded at times of full mental presence.