Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects many older adults. People with diabetes have high sugar (glucose) levels in their blood. Both the disease and medications for it may result in increased risk of falls among older adults.
Diabetes and Falls
- People with diabetes may feel tired, be hungrier and thirstier than usual, need to urinate more, and have vision problems including blurriness.
- Diabetes may also result in the loss of sensation in your feet, vision changes or loss, heart disease, and postural hypotension.
- Not being able to see or feel your feet greatly increases your risk of falling.
- Diabetes and the medications used to manage it may also trigger lightheadedness, unsteadiness, or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). All of these can lead to losing your balance and fainting which can bring about falls.
Steps You Can Take
- Complete the Personal Medicines list and plan to discuss with your healthcare provider.
- Review the dizziness module.
- Know your signs of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and always keep an appropriate treatment on hand.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about:
- Any new or worsening medication side effects, you can also talk to your pharmacist about this.
- Options to stop, switch, or reduce any medication that increases your risk of falling.
- How your diabetes may increase your fall risk, or
- Repeated episodes of hypoglycemia which is a blood glucose level below 70 mg/DL.
Resources
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Diabetes and the Body System
Learn how diabetes affects the body.