My elderly mother, who lives alone, has diabeties and her doctor wants her to to take daily insulin injections but does not want her to do it. Will Medicare assign a nurse to come to her house daily to do this should we get a written prescription from her doctor?
You dial the dosage and press a button
There are a lot of devices that make injections super simple to do.
If the doctor feels they cannot be depended upon to get the shot, that is a different problem. If they cannot remember or cooperate then they need either a family member to do it or they probably need to be in a nursing home.
As a multiple insulin injector myself, I will confirm that the cartridges with screw on needles makes it very simple and easy, (NO MORE SYRINGES and vials for most patients), HOWEVER, if the patient has any memory problems or cognitive decline, it's very risky to have them do it. Overdosing the insulin could be fatal. I wouldn't trust reminders either.
Another factor to consider with a person who takes insulin and lives alone is low blood sugar. Most people who take insulin will encounter it eventually. If the person is not aware enough, they could pass out and even die. I'd be very cautious and consider other options for a senior living alone who needs to take insulin.
one of us lives fairly close and can bring her some toiletries, juice, etc. , but cannot go every day.