Clinical expert consensus on standard care of blood glucose for residents in senior care facility in China (2021 edition)

Abstract

With the demographic changes, more and more elderly people have chosen to spend their retirement life in a senior care facility. The elderly people in senior care facility are commonly suffering from various geriatric syndromes, including declined daily living activities, cognitive dysfunction, frailty, comorbidities, and polypharmacy, which make them vulnerable to adverse effects, like hypoglycemia and fall. Therefore, layered management is necessary for this population with group disparities. However, the staff in senior care facility vary greatly in concepts and skills on management of senile diabetic population, which needs urgently to be standardized and improved. For this purpose, based on literature review and panel discussion, 28 recommendations are proposed in respect of the standardized management of blood glucose, covering the comprehensive assessment, layered management and grouping, exercise, nutrition, glucose monitoring, identification and treatment of severe hyperglycemia, identification of macrovascular and microvascular complications, management of hypoglycemic drugs, falls and choking and other common problems, blood glucose screening, hypoglycemia prevention, and blood glucose management in major public health events or serious natural disasters. This guideline aims to standardize management skills of medical staff and caregivers in senior care facility for the blood glucose of elderly people and improve their quality of life.