Making Your Home Diabetes Friendly
Robin Brain
November 22, 2008
There's more to treatment success than whipping the pantry into shape. The first is keeping a frequent watch on where your glucose levels are. One way to encourage yourself is to have several meters available where you'll use them in the kitchen, by your bed, in your gym bag. If you're often testing at night, there's at least one model on the market with a glow-in-the dark faceplate for easier testing. You can use your kitchen timer or alarm clock to remind you to take any postprandial blood sugar checks. Keep several blood sugar logs with your meters so you remember to record your results, or carry a pocket sized "master log" with you to keep everything in one place. Home safety is also an issue. If you don't have one already, get a sharps disposal bin. Even if you don't use insulin, you should still have one for your lancets. If you have a small child with type 1 diabetes, youwill have to be twice as vigilant about toddler proofing your home, particularly the kitchen. Keep the cupboards and pantry closed and locked (or fastened with child safety latches) to avoid any surreptitious snacking.
Diabetes At Work
If you are employed outside the home, you may need to make some adjustments in your daily work routine to accommodate good treatment habits. There's probably no job out there that is perfectly suited for diabetes, but there are some employment situations that are more difficult than others. Working a job where you're on your feet all day; where it's difficult to take a break to test your blood sugar, where your shifts are unpredictable, or where you are exposed to extreme heat or cold can make control hard. You may be faced with some tough choices as you try to make your job compatible with your new life. The legal protections offered by the Americans with Disabilities Act will help to a degree, but even with that, you may find yourself in a position where your job is working against your diabetes management. If this is the case, you do have options:
Talk to your doctor about adjustments to your treatment. Could a new medication or insulin regimen help?
Talk to your boss or manager about adjustments to your work schedule or other accommodations. Is a transfer possible or preferred? Could a shift change be in order?
Explore your options both inside and outside of your company. If you've been contemplating a career change or return to school, maybe now is the time to get moving.
Third shift work and swing shift work (where your work shifts are svitched on a regular basis) are particularly hard on diabetes management, which strives for balance. If you must work these types of hours, you need to stay in close contact with your diabetes care team to keep on top of problems as they arise and make any necessary medication and insulin adjustments.
Diabetes At Work
If you are employed outside the home, you may need to make some adjustments in your daily work routine to accommodate good treatment habits. There's probably no job out there that is perfectly suited for diabetes, but there are some employment situations that are more difficult than others. Working a job where you're on your feet all day; where it's difficult to take a break to test your blood sugar, where your shifts are unpredictable, or where you are exposed to extreme heat or cold can make control hard. You may be faced with some tough choices as you try to make your job compatible with your new life. The legal protections offered by the Americans with Disabilities Act will help to a degree, but even with that, you may find yourself in a position where your job is working against your diabetes management. If this is the case, you do have options:
Talk to your doctor about adjustments to your treatment. Could a new medication or insulin regimen help?
Talk to your boss or manager about adjustments to your work schedule or other accommodations. Is a transfer possible or preferred? Could a shift change be in order?
Explore your options both inside and outside of your company. If you've been contemplating a career change or return to school, maybe now is the time to get moving.
Third shift work and swing shift work (where your work shifts are svitched on a regular basis) are particularly hard on diabetes management, which strives for balance. If you must work these types of hours, you need to stay in close contact with your diabetes care team to keep on top of problems as they arise and make any necessary medication and insulin adjustments.
Get more Diabetic Information and Treatment Information For Diabetes.
Print
Email
