Family can play vital role in helping diabetes patients

JAKARTA (JP): Adhering to a strict diet to reduce weight is hard enough for the healthy. But for elderly people with diabetes melitus, dietary restrictions can be difficult to follow.

The family can play an important role in establishing psychological and social conditions conducive to supporting medical treatments.

Dr. Supartondo, an internee at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital said Monday that medical treatments and a strict diet are sometimes not enough to cope with the disease.

"Psychological and social background affect the patient's condition too, especially when they are above 40 years of age. I recommend that doctors should also explain diabetes to the patient and their family," he said.

Dr. Supartondo said sometimes the family only relies on medical treatments and forgets the psychosocial condition of the patient.

For example, he said, families should be more assertive in dealing with older family members with diabetes.

"Don't spoil them but remind them to live a healthy life and avoid things which can worsen their disease," he said.

He said it was important that doctors and families inform the diabetes patient on how to manage daily activities.

"We have to be sure that the patient knows how to manage his or her food intake, how to take medicine, even how to dress and do simple daily routines," he said.

"Such small things are important in arranging further treatment for the patient, and without the help of the family it would be more difficult to help the sick," he said.

He said if a patient could not move his or her body, others should help them to take their medicine and do their exercises.

But Dr. Supartondo said it was also important the patient remained independent.

"But to be independent is not easy, especially for old people. Sometimes just a little bit of stress is enough to worsen their health condition, " he said.

Dr. Supartondo said the combination of family attention and patients' awareness of their health condition would help in treating the disease.

A public health expert, Dr. Myrnawati, said in a symposium to celebrate 30 years of the school of medicine of the Islamic Yarsi University, Monday, that diabetes can be treated by ginseng extracts.

She said that while ginseng could not cure the disease, research showed it could help reduce the insulin intake and sugar in their blood.

The symposium was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma Service Indonesia. (12)