Diabetes care in nursing homes still remains “fragmented” and urgent steps need to be taken to restore the “health and dignity” of older people, leading experts have said.
A review of multiple studies carried out across 25 years involving residents with diabetes has slammed care home provision saying that care homes “often do not meet national standards” of diabetes care and staff training is “patchy”.
Lead author Professor Alan Sinclair, from the Foundation for Diabetes Research in Older People and University of Aston, said: “Our findings show the level of diabetes care remains fragmented which is quite worrying because figures suggest over a quarter of care home residents are believed to have the condition. Without proper management, it can lead to frailty, dependency, disability and reduced life expectancy.
Talking meter removed
Meter for the visually impaired removed from the market
The SuperCheck2 blood glucose meter for visually impaired people has been withdrawn from the market by the manufacturer, Apollo Medical Technologies Ltd. This meter provided blood glucose readings through a voice system.
There is another glucose meter on the market to help visually impaired people with diabetes, the GlucoRx Nexus Voice Meter. This meter uses GlucoRx Nexus test strips and GlucoRx Nexus Lancets.
50% less sugar
From January 2018 IRN-BRU will contain approximately 50% less sugar. The sugar content per 100ml will reduce from 10.3g to 4.7g. For a time old and new products may be on the shelf together so remember to check the label.
People with diabetes should be aware of the carbohydrate content change and should seek medical advice.
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From December 2018, people in the US will not be able to import pork insulin from Wockhardt UK.
This is due to stringent Regulatory Controls, leaving Wockhardt UK with no choice but to discontinue the supply of Hypurin Porcine & Bovine insulin which is directly supplied to the patients in the USA on a “Name Patient basis”.
On November 30th 2018, Wockhardt issued the following statement which offers reassurance to people in the UK who use Hypurin® porcine insulin…
neuropad® is a patented 10-minute screening test for the early detection of diabetic foot syndrome; a condition which can lead to serious complications such as foot ulceration and even amputation. The test is completely painless. Think of the test as an early warning system for your feet.
List of published clinical studies: http://www.neuropad.co.uk/case-studies/
The price of the test comprising of two test pads is £14.99, no VAT payable and can be purchased from our website shop, or by phoning IDDT on 01604 622837.
IDDT now sell diabetes-friendly socks in our online shop. Our Comfort Socks have been developed for use by people with diabetes, vascular disorders and other circulatory problems. Our Fuller Fitting Longer Sock is for people who find it difficult to wear ordinary socks. These are made with a large circumference top and are suitable for people who may be suffering from oedema (swollen legs), for example.
The Comfort Socks retail at £8 and the Fuller Fitting at £12 per pair including p&p. To order your socks, please visit our online shop, or phone IDDT on 01604 622837.
It is essential that people with diabetes look after their feet properly to avoid ulcers as these can lead to amputations. Prevention of foot problems is very important, therefore your feet should be inspected every day, in addition to daily washing and moisturising. It is not always easy to inspect the soles of your feet but nevertheless, it is important especially for people who have neuropathy with loss of sensation, so they don’t feel pain if an injury occurs.
This mirror, called Solesee, is ideal to enable you to see the soles of your feet and it can be purchased from the IDDT Shop.
Knowing that nerves in your feet are damaged is vitally important – because this puts your feet at a higher risk of injury and requires you to be much more meticulous in your footcare.
Prof. Andrew Levy, at Bristol University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has invented a clever tool that helps to quickly and easily identify an early sign of a problem with the feet – the inability of the nerves to distinguish between a touch and a vibration – the VibraTip®, a small battery operated device, emits a calibrated vibration when squeezed. Only the operator knows when the VibraTip® is active because the device runs silently. If the patient cannot distinguish between a touch with vibration and a touch without vibration at the end of the big toe, nerve damage is suspected and further tests and advice are needed. Click here to read more
The simplicity of the test also allows a family member or friend to check patients’ feet at home, looking for those early signs of any loss in protective nerve function.
A VibraTip® costs only £14.30 and can be ordered from the IDDT Shop or by phoning IDDT on 01604 622837. Each device is individually blister-packed and can be used thousands of times before it needs replacing.
Several new insulins have come to the market recently; three high strength insulins which have concentrations greater than the previously standard strength of U100 and biosimilar insulin.
The Trustees of IDDT have discussed the introduction of different strengths of insulin in depth and strongly expressed their concerns about the risks of errors by people with diabetes, health professionals and hospitals. These concerns come from their experiences of the introduction of the first genetically modified human insulin in the 1980s when there was a dearth of evidence of benefit and many people with diabetes were not informed of the differences from their previous natural animal insulin.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a review of canagliflozin, dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, which are diabetes medicines known as SGLT2 inhibitors. This was requested by the European Commission following several reports of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients on SGLT2 inhibitor treatment for Type 2 diabetes. EMA will now review all available data on the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) with SGLT2 inhibitors and consider whether any changes are needed in the way these medicines are used in the EU.
The InDependent Diabetes Trust [IDDT] is all too aware of the difficulties that children with diabetes and their parents face in everyday life when managing the condition. One area that proves particularly problematic is managing the condition at school. With this in mind, IDDT has produced a new, FREE booklet, the Parents Passport for Schools.
The National Paediatric Audit report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, March 2015, has shown that in England and Wales only 16.1% of young people aged 12 years and older are receiving the 7 annual checks that every child with diabetes should have. This is a slight improvement from the last audit but still very worrying.
It is important that people have a fully informed choice of insulin so that they can choose the type of insulin and the regime that suits them and their lifestyle.
Insulin Choices – The Evidence
Animal insulins are available in the UK
Replacement pork insulin available in
Canada
Use of Pork Insulin in Pumps
Reviews and Reports
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