Conditions

Diabetes care at home

Help at home to keep diabetes routines steady: regular meals, medication reminders, appointments, and knowing what to do if blood sugar drops.

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What diabetes is

Diabetes is a condition that causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high. Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by a problem with the immune system and can't be prevented. Type 2 diabetes is more common in some groups, and is linked to age, weight and ethnicity (NHS).

Where help at home makes a difference

Regular meals and snacks, planned around medication
Taking tablets or insulin at the right times
Blood sugar checks, if the diabetes team has asked for them
Feet: noticing cuts, blisters or colour changes and reporting them
Appointments, including diabetic eye screening every 1 or 2 years from age 12

Low blood sugar (a hypo)

Know the signs and the plan

Signs can include feeling hungry, dizzy, anxious or irritable, sweating, shaking, tingling lips, a pounding heart, tiredness, blurred vision and confusion. The NHS advises having something that raises blood sugar quickly, such as a small glass of fruit juice or a sugary fizzy drink, then checking again after 10 to 15 minutes (NHS: low blood sugar).

Follow the person's own hypo plan from their diabetes team. If someone has a seizure or becomes unconscious, call 999.

What a carer does

Plans and cooks meals that fit the diabetes team's advice
Reminds the person to take medication, and records it
Keeps hypo treatments in the same place, and knows the plan
Supports blood sugar checks where the person does them themselves
Gets them to appointments and screening
Notices changes and tells the family or the diabetes team

Carers prompt and record; nurses and doctors interpret. Insulin injections are given by the person or the NHS team, unless a carer has been trained for that task and it has been agreed with the team.

Which care fits

Hourly visits at mealtimes work well for many people. Live-in care suits someone who also needs help through the day, for example with dementia as well as diabetes.

Help paying for care

Personal Independence Payment: for people aged 16 or over with difficulty with everyday tasks or getting around, usually under State Pension age for a new claim, and not affected by income or savings (Adult Disability Payment in Scotland)
Attendance Allowance: for people over State Pension age who need help, not means-tested
Council funding: after a free needs assessment and a means test
Direct payments: council money you can use to arrange your own care
NHS Continuing Healthcare: when needs are mainly health needs

Rates and rules checked against GOV.UK and the NHS in October 2026. Benefit rates usually change each April.

Tell us about them
The diagnosis, how they are now, routines, and what matters to them.
See matched profiles
Profiles say what experience each carer has, so you can choose with care.
Speak first
Talk to carers by phone or video call before you agree to anything.
Care starts
You and your carer agree the routine, and change it as needs change.

How carers are checked

Before LCH Care introduces a carer, we check their identity, right to work in the UK, Enhanced DBS, two references, work history, and relevant training or qualifications. Carers also hold their own public liability insurance. You then speak to the carer by phone or video call before you agree to anything.

Other conditions

Questions

Can a carer give insulin?

Only when the carer has been trained for that task and it has been agreed with the NHS team. Otherwise the person or a district nurse gives it, and the carer reminds and records.

What does a carer do during a hypo?

Follows the person's hypo plan: a fast-acting sugary drink or snack, then checking again after 10 to 15 minutes. If the person has a seizure or becomes unconscious, call 999.

Can a carer help with a diabetes diet?

Yes. A carer can plan, shop for and cook meals that fit the advice from the diabetes team.