Diabetes in Older Patients

Course Description

Diabetes mellitus has been on the rise among older adults in the U.S. for several decades. Allied health professionals can be on the frontline of treatment and prevention for this life-altering disease. This course gives us an overview of diabetes in older patients, discusses current treatment perspectives and guidelines, and addresses how diabetes may impact geriatric rehabilitation. We also look at several current research articles that address the evidence for risk factors and exercise interventions, to see how they may apply to our practice. This course will be immediately useful in clinical practice for physical and occupational therapy professionals.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Define diabetes mellitus and list its classification types and diagnostic criteria
• Recall the history of our understanding of diabetes
• Identify signs, symptoms, and risk factors associated with diabetes in older patients
• Recognize the prevalence of diabetes and of obesity in the United States
• Outline the major complications of diabetes in older adults
• Identify standard medical treatment for diabetes
• Clarify risk factors related to exercise in older patients with diabetes
• Choose and prescribe safe exercise and other interventions for this patient population
• Analyze the research evidence discussed in this course, and apply its principles to your practice

• Prerequisites

  None

• Educational Level

  Basic

• Other

  Satisfactory completion of this course will require the participant to complete a 10 question post-test with a minimum passing score of 70%.