Nutrition education: the older adult with diabetes

The dietitian, working with other members of the health care team, plays a very important role in developing a care plan for the older person with diabetes. Often individuals in this age group have so many health care needs that nutrition intervention may be low on the priority list. Optimum nutrition is essential to maintain health and well-being as well as to keep blood glucose levels in the target range. The dietitian who works with this population must be very skilled at multifaceted assessment. He or she must be able to correlate all the information gained to creatively design, with the patient and caregivers, a workable dietary intervention, and be able to adapt instruction techniques and tools for a wide variety of educational needs and abilities. Knowledge, skill, experience, confidence in judgment and, most important, sincere caring are all important to the process. Nutrition education should be individually tailored and incorporate patience, kindness, humor, understanding, and above all a respect for the differences that make each older person an individual.