{"id":1379,"date":"2017-12-15T04:48:49","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T12:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2017-12-15T04:48:49","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T12:48:49","slug":"the-new-complication-aging-with-type-1-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=1379","title":{"rendered":"The New Complication: Aging with Type 1 Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Update: You can now listen to our Diabetespeaks podcast episode of this event by clicking here: <\/i>https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/media\/share\/pb-ny8f7-7e17c9<\/i><\/a><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
With incredible breakthroughs in diabetes technology, therapy and clinical care, people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are living longer than ever. But as people age, they take on a whole separate host of challenges that are compounded by T1D. Many fear they will not have the self-reliance, care, support, or financial resources necessary to manage their blood sugar and continue to live well with diabetes in their golden years.<\/p>\n

Last month, this concerning issue was presented at T1D Exchange\u2019s Annual Meeting. Four individuals currently or soon facing this dilemma spoke on a patient panel, bringing to light a new complication of type 1 diabetes rarely discussed in a public forum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a new problem, based on our recent success in treating T1D,\u201d said Dr. Nick Argento<\/a>, an endocrinologist and person with diabetes (PWD). \u201cThe Joslin 50-year survivors used to be sort of an elite group. That\u2019s not true anymore. Now, it\u2019s expected, not the exception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining Argento on stage was Paul Madden, Bunny Kasper, and Sandy Brooks, each with a different diabetes experience, but all in their later stages of life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bunny Kasper<\/a>, who is in her mid-seventies and has lived with diabetes most of her adult life, volunteers as a support group leader for families with children who have T1D. She shared that this group of parents recently commented that she should find diabetes management easier because she\u2019s been doing it for so long. But what they didn\u2019t understand was how much more tired she is at this age, and that it\u2019s actually harder, not easier, after all these years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just very little understanding about the elder generation and what we deal with,\u201d said Kasper.<\/p>\n

In addition to physical wear and tear, the panelists shared how much fear plays a role in their daily lives with T1D, and how vulnerable they all feel about their future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid of being alone, and not being supported with my care,\u201d said Paul Madden<\/a>, 66, diagnosed 55 years ago.<\/p>\n

Argento shares the same fear, and has already seen this issue in his own T1D patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir network has broken down. They\u2019ve had a spouse who was their advocate and assistant, but then has a stroke or develops dementia or dies and suddenly, they\u2019re not present anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only is a caregiver or partner helpful at home for everyday diabetes tasks, but also as an advocate in hospitals or other institutions. Argento and others on the panel shared stories of healthcare providers ignoring their T1D needs during surgery or other hospitalizations, and highlighted the importance of the greater medical community to become more educated about diabetes in order to care for all people with T1D.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I can\u2019t advocate for myself?\u201d said Argento. \u201cI\u2019m deathly afraid of that, and I\u2019ve seen some horrible outcomes, unfortunately, for my patients in the same situation. It creates tremendous anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandy Brooks<\/a>, a registered nurse and surgical type 1, says nursing homes are even less prepared and educated about insulin dependency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are great people there who work hard, but T1D adds an aspect that you don\u2019t learn about in nursing or medical school.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cost of diabetes management and access to technology, therapies and care, are also a big worry for these panelists, especially as many of them are or will soon be eligible for Medicare. Argento has advocated fiercely for CMS coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, including representing the Endocrine Society before the FDA to approve non-adjunctive use of Dexcom, which was a necessary step towards CMS\u2019 decision to cover CGM. He was also in a pivotal meeting<\/a> with CMS on the Dexcom approval, which came through earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a huge population of type 1 patients who were depending on CGM, and couldn\u2019t live without it. They\u2019d hit Medicare age and they\u2019d lose it,\u201d said Argento, who encourages all people with diabetes to persist, and insist, on the care and therapies they need. \u201cThey should have gotten a medal for making it to Medicare age, not a denial from CMS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kasper pointed out that the way she planned financially for her retirement over the previous decades now won\u2019t cover her diabetes costs under the current landscape, and that older people like her cannot make up this shortfall by earning more income.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t have the money you need, you\u2019re not going to get the supplies or the care,\u201d said Kasper.<\/p>\n

Madden had one piece of advice for seniors facing these unchartered waters with T1D. He spoke of the importance of having a good relationship with one\u2019s providers and finding one that will listen to your concerns, whether they\u2019re related to aging, diabetes, or both.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how important that relationship is,\u201d said Madden, whose current endocrinologist looks at him as an individual, listens to his questions, and helps him refine his questions before answering, because, he says, sometimes he doesn\u2019t know how to ask them. \u201cThat\u2019s powerful when that happens. That\u2019s access at the fullest level.\u201d<\/p>\n

We thank our patient panel for sharing their perspective, and opening the community\u2019s eyes to this very important topic. As always, Glu and T1D Exchange need feedback from our patient community in order to research critical issues in type 1 diabetes like this one, so please comment and share your thoughts on aging with type 1 diabetes and other topics you feel are important.<\/p>\n

\u2014Amy Bevan\/GluMom<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update: You can now listen to our Diabetespeaks podcast episode of this event by clicking here: https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/media\/share\/pb-ny8f7-7e17c9 With incredible breakthroughs in diabetes technology, therapy and clinical care, people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are living longer than ever. But as … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1379"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1380,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}