Managing Diabetes Care in Older Adults

As Americans grow older, they represent a higher proportion of patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Many age-related changes, such as complex comorbid medical issues, affect the clinical presentation of type 2 diabetes, making its management in older adults problematic. This activity will review how physiologic changes associated with aging impact the diagnosis, medical management, lifestyle management, and treatment of the comorbidities of diabetes in older adults. In addition, a review of the latest society guidelines for treatment of diabetes in this population and recommendations for lifestyle modifications will be addressed, along with strategies for discussing these guidelines and recommendations with patients.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

  1. Recognize the physiologic changes associated with aging that increase older adult patients’ vulnerability to the manifestations of diabetes
  2. Distinguish guidelines set forth by the American Diabetes Association, the American Geriatrics Society, and the Choosing Wisely® Initiative
  3. Identify barriers and strategies to improve management of diabetes in older adult patients based on the latest evidence-based guidelines

Disclosures of Relevant Financial Relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial SupportSM, OptumHealth Education requires all those involved in the development of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or their spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the activity content over which the individual has control.
OptumHealth Education ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Activity Planners
Kathleen Alsgaard, RN, BSN, MSA
Director, Clinical Programs
Healthcare Transformation, UnitedHealth Group Alliances
Medicare & Retirement

Diane Cempellin RN, BSN, MSHA
Director, Clinical Programs
Healthcare Transformation, UnitedHealth Group Alliances

Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

David Martin, MD
UnitedHealth Group Alliances
Medicare & Retirement

Ann McKnight, BA
Sr. Project Manager II
UnitedHealth Group Alliances

Arlene Rome, RN, BSN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

V. Silverstein, MD
Eagle Creek Medical Communications

Activity Planner Disclosures
Ms Alsgaard, Ms Cempellin, Ms Gleason, Ms McKnight, Dr Martin, and Ms Rome reported that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.
Dr Silverstein has nothing to report.

Reviewer Disclosures
To ensure fair balance and avoid bias, the content for this activity has been reviewed by an independent medical expert with no relevant financial relationships and has been approved by OptumHealth Education.

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

  • Completing the entire activity
  • Completing the Pre- and Post-Activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking “Begin” and viewing the “CE Info”; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save, or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under “My Account”, “My Activities.”

Method for Calculating CE Credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Provided By
This activity is jointly provided by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement.

Commercial Support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.

Hardware/Software Requirements
To view this activity you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+, or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable your pop-up blocking software prior to the beginning of this activity.

Target Audience

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of nurses, physicians, and other healthcare providers who have an interest in topics relevant to diabetes care in older adults.

Activity summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
Activity opens: 
01/06/2015
Activity expires: 
12/31/2018
Rating: 
0

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
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