July 18, 2025
Both conditions are determined by blood sugar levels. For adults, healthy levels range between 70 to 99 milligrams per deciliter. Pre-diabetes is often diagnosed before someone has type 2 diabetes- when that individual is having regular doctor visits and having his or her blood sugar levels checked. Pre-diabetes is often diagnosed when blood sugar levels fall between 100 and 125.
Type 2 diabetes develops if those numbers continue to escalate. For some individuals, if they haven’t had their levels checked for several years, they could skip over the prediabetes diagnosis and move directly into type 2 diabetes.
One of the benefits of home care and having regular blood sugar levels measured and finding out that your loved one has prediabetes is that with that awareness, they can start making lifestyle changes today to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in their future.
One of the largest risk factors is simply age. As a person gets older, their risk of developing prediabetes increases. For those individuals over the age of 65, the risk is almost 50% that your loved one will develop the condition.
Other risk factors for prediabetes include:
Prediabetes often doesn’t present any symptoms. The symptoms begin to appear once type 2 diabetes has developed. One symptom of prediabetes that is sometimes detected is darkened areas of skin on the groin, armpits, and neck. Skin tags have sometimes been seen to increase in those with prediabetes.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with prediabetes or if his blood sugar levels are close to the required numbers for diagnosis, you can help him take steps to reduce his risk of developing type 2 diabetes and putting his health at risk for all of the complications that type 2 diabetes comes with. You will want to work directly with his doctor and perhaps even a nutritionist to help him take the healthy steps needed to make some lifestyle choices that could bring his blood sugar levels back down to normal.
If your loved one needs assistance to make some changes in the way he eats or how much he exercises, but you are not able to step in daily to support the needed changes, a home care provider can help your loved one successfully make the changes suggested by his physician. A trained provider can help provide the home care he needs by assisting him with meals, providing transportation to a senior center for regular exercise, and even with medication management if his doctor determines he needs to take a prescription to keep his blood sugar at a healthier level. Even if you’re not nearby, your loved one doesn’t need to do it alone. Home care providers offer the support and guidance needed for a healthier life.
Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21498-prediabetes
