Building Competency in Diabetes Education THE ESSENTIALS

CHANGES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN| 4-43

Figure 8: Cognitive dysfunction in type 1 and type 2 diabetes

There are several educational strategies that we can work with to help the patients with cognitive dysfunction cope with the tasks involved in their diabetes management.

Self-management education strategies Education and support programs are particularly relevant for the older person with diabetes. Studies have shown remarkable improvement in clinical parameters, as well as psychological factors following education and support interventions. Individual preference and availability are again considerations when designing any educational programs, but particularly for the elderly (98). Physical, emotional, cognitive and psychosocial challenges all impact the planning process. Physical limitations, such as mobility, poor vision and limited hearing, are also necessary considerations. Having easy access to facilities, arranging for areas with limited auditory distractions or offering in-home programs are enablers for successful learning. When designing written materials for the elderly, it is advised that a font size of 14 or larger be used with plenty of white space (74,105) to help facilitate the learning process (106). Cognitive function is another component that will affect the ability of the older adult to engage in learning (94,98,107). Literacy, memory, retention and the processing of new knowledge are a few of the many functions affected by deteriorating cognition (99). The table below identifies some areas affected by cognitive decline and outlines some strategies to work with the dysfunction.