Institute of Diabetes for Older People

Philip Ivory - Patient representative, OPSG

The Older People’s Steering Group

The Older People’s Steering Group (OPSG) was set up in 2009 by Professor Alan Sinclair as an adjunct to the work of the Institute of Diabetes for Older People (IDOP). The Group comprises consultant diabetologists, specialist diabetes nurses, a general practitioner, an NHS professional and patient representatives, under the direction of Professor Sinclair. The Group is currently interested in the care of older people with diabetes, in particular looking at how older people with diabetes in residential and care homes are managed. The Group meets four or five times a year for roundtable discussions and to plan research projects on these issues.  One of the first projects set up under the remit of the OPSG is a pilot audit of care homes in Hertfordshire via a simple questionnaire document to be completed by home managers, care assistants and residents with diabetes.

After the successful completion of the pilot phase of the audit, the questionnaire will be launched across the country for the attention of managers at care homes of all kinds (private and local authority). We hope this national audit will give a clear picture of how residents with diabetes are cared for and will be a basis for national guidelines on best practice.

The next stage in this project will be to produce training materials on diabetes and diabetes care which will be used to educate managers and staff at care homes. The emphasis will be very practical, covering topics such as:

• what is diabetes
• what are the symptoms of diabetes
• how to deal with the individual older person’s needs in terms of nutrition and medications including insulin injections
• how to recognise the warning signs of hypo (hypoglycaemia) and how to do blood testing
• the importance of regular medical /nursing visits to assess residents.

These days the number of older people in the UK general population is growing rapidly and many will have diabetes. As a result, residential and care homes of all kinds will need more and better educated managers and staff in coming years.

I have been a patient representative for The Steering Group since it was set up. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes myself 12 years ago. I consider myself to be ‘an older person’ at the age of 74; although the term ‘older person’ encompasses a broad spectrum, in practice it covers people over 65. I am delighted to be able to contribute to the work of The Steering Group as it engages on the practical and humane task of developing diabetes services for older people as a matter of urgency.

Philip Ivory

Patient representative, OPSG