Self-Care Practices of the Elderly with type Two Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is considered a public health problem worldwide and occurs more frequently in the elderly since its prevalence increases more and more as age progresses. The lack of adequate therapeutic control in this age group can lead to many complications. Objective: To classify the selfcare practices of the elderly with DM2 in a public health institution. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out and data collection was done in a simple random manner in a public hospital in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, through the measurement of capillary glucose and the application of a questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical data of the participants. In turn, the summary of self-care activities (SDSCA) was applied, which included 5 dimensions: Food, physical activity, self-monitoring, foot care and therapeutic adherence. Results: A descriptive analysis of a final sample of 39 elderly adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus was carried out. Predominantly 58.9% were female, with 28.3% in the age range of 66 to 70 years. 46.2% of older adults with hyperglycemia and moderately high glycaemia stood out in the preprandial glycemic parameters. It was possible to identify that elderly adults carry out self-care practices in 3 of the evaluated areas, which are: nutrition, foot care and therapeutic adherence, while they do not have selfcare practices in physical activity and self-monitoring. Discussion: Most of the participants refer to proper management of their condition, however, the preprandial capillary glucose levels obtained by most of the participants were outside healthy ranges. Therefore, it is considered that the older adults with DM2 did not provide totally reliable information. Conclusion: It can be pointed out that the self-care practices by the elderly are the main elements in the proper management of DM2 and the prevention of possible complications, so in this lies the importance of their performance.