- Diabetes Resources
- April 26, 2018
Could Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Benefit from Medical Alert Systems?
Patients living with type 1 diabetes do a whole lot of balancing. Aside from having to always keep their blood sugar and insulin levels in check, they also need to make sure that they strike the perfect balance between the medication they take, the food they eat and the exercises they do. The good news, however, is that it’s becoming a lot easier for patients to keep track of their levels thanks to emerging diabetes technologies. Moreover, companies are getting closer to perfecting closed-loop systems that aim to automate as much of the monitoring and treatment processes as possible so the patient can focus on things that they care about. Does this mean, therefore, that there’s no longer any need for patients to invest in medical alert systems? Well, the short answer is not quite.
Consider the possible complications
While the symptoms of type 1 diabetes are quite manageable, the complications can be a bit trickier. Aside from eye, nerve and kidney damage, it can also cause heart and blood vessel issues, which could lead to heart attacks. Needless to say, whenever a heart attack happens, time is always of the essence. The faster the patient is given proper treatment, the bigger their chances of survival. This is where the ability to quickly contact emergency services comes in. Medical alert systems make it possible for patients to easily call for help even if they are alone or, for some reason, incapacitated.
They’re meant to augment the patient’s existing tools
Again, living with type 1 diabetes requires the patient to keep track and balance a lot of things. This means that a simple change in one thing—like the type of exercises they do or the food they eat—could easily change their body’s overall dynamic. This, of course, could lead to all sorts of unforeseen issues—which is another reason why it’s crucial for patients to have some form of medical alert system in their diabetes toolkits at all times.
Readiness is key
It’s definitely becoming so much easier for patients with type 1 diabetes to live with their condition. With modern tools for monitoring and treatment becoming more and more sophisticated, the risk for serious complications has gone down significantly. This, however, does not mean that it’s okay to be complacent. At the end of the day, medical alert systems still give patients a significantly better fighting chance in case something goes wrong, and that’s definitely not an opportunity anyone should pass on.
