Self-care for the elderly diabetic.

Diabetes is a chronic disease; its successful management is largely dependent on the elderly individual's compliance with the treatment regimen. Teaching efforts for elderly clients with diabetes should be tailored to meet the many age-related conditions that affect learning abilities. These include prior experience with the disease, sensory perceptual changes, short-term memory loss, and lack of formal education. Orem's theory of self-care provides an appropriate framework for nurses who work with elderly diabetic clients. For these clients, nursing goals are geared toward having the older person remain as independent and healthy as possible.