Who should provide diabetes care to elderly diabetic patients in long-term care homes?

Abstract

As a result of rapid aging, the number of elderly diabetic patients with decreased self-management ability in Japan is increasing. Currently, family members primarily perform self-injection at home and self-measurement of blood glucose for patients that require these procedures. Patients who cannot receive assistance from family members, will be admitted into long-term care homes. Due to the shortage of nurses in many long-term care homes, the homes can only accept a limited number of diabetic patients with decreased self-management abilities. There are two measures that may be considered: the first is to significantly increase the number of nurses; the second is to delegate diabetes care to non-medical and non-nursing care workers in long-term care homes. However, both options should be carefully considered before making a choice.