A blood glucose monitor or a diabetes monitor is a vital tool for most diabetics. There are numerous diabetic monitors available in the market; hence, picking the right one can be a bit confusing for a senior. Most seniors who have been diagnosed with diabetes need a personal blood glucose meter, a small battery-powered device to measure their blood sugar level. Regular monitoring is required as it provides valuable information about how food, exercise, medication, and other factors affect your blood sugar, thereby helping you to manage it better. There are many types of diabetic monitors available today, ranging from the most basic one to advanced kinds that come with multiple features and options. Listed below are a few tips that will help you pick the right diabetic monitor that will suit your needs:
Cost: The first step that you have to take before buying a diabetes monitor is to call your insurance agent and find out how much they’ll cover for the meter and strips. The meters themselves don’t cost much; the price range of diabetic monitors are between $10 to $80, and you can even get one for free from your health care provider or from your doctor. However, it is the testing strips that are pricy costing anywhere between 50 cents to a dollar per strip, which really adds up depending on how often you test.
Ease of use: Some meters are definitely much easier to use than others. Seniors like larger meters that have bigger controls and use larger strips that are easier to handle. For seniors whose vision is poor, there are talking meters that speak your result.
Blood sampling: To help reduce the pain factor of testing, many diabetes monitors use an “alternate testing site,” allowing you to draw blood from the less sensitive areas of the body like the arm, thigh, and calf.
Memory: Many of the diabetic meters have memory so you can store and recall past readings, which can be very helpful for seniors.