Hi
I am a mom of a teen type 1 and the niece of a type1. I am concerned about how to get help for my aunt who is in Winnipeg( I am in Calgary). She has family that do their best and a husband that has always been there with sugar but is in a wheelchair now. She has had some severe lows the past year hospitalizing her, she has a pump but some memory loss. It is hard to tell if she has forgotten that she has already bolused or if she is giving too much or her basal rates are not/ or have never been set correctly. I am wondering if anyone out there has any advice? They have taken away her pump and are going to try lantus once per day ( via home care nurse) and see if it covers her. Personally I think this is just as dangerous as letting her keep her pump at least you can turn off the basal in the pump in case of emergency. What she needs is a type one mom that can check in on her or a support group ? .
Two points. First, it is not uncommon for those of us who use pumps to have those pumps removed in cases when we night have a cognitive impairment. So this is not uncommon.
Second, it is also common and not unwise to allow a person’s blood sugar to run a bit higher as they age. In the last 3 years, the American Diabetes Association has suggested that people who are older than 70 should have an A1C greater than 7 or eAG of 8.6.
The reason for the loosening of control is that it is thought that tight control may be dangerous and looser control is not likely overly harmful.
You did not say that your aunt is over 70 (I understand), but those observations might provide some context to the approach.
Can she get a Dexcom and connect with NightScout? That’s primarily the type of situation it is good for. A trusted person or two could have access to the monitor data. http://www.nightscout.info/