The purpose of this longitudinal qualitative study was to explore Latino caregiving dyads’ experiences with managing diabetes in the home. Sebern’s Shared Care construct was used as a framework for understanding the realities that some Latino older adults and their caregivers face in managing diabetes.
Twelve caregiving dyads completed a semistructured interview followed by weekly participant observation in their homes over 3 to 4 months. Data were analyzed using a qualitative, grounded theory approach. Diet was the most commonly discussed and observed aspect of diabetes care and also a source of strain within dyads. Dyads talked and acted congruently about food preparation and the challenges of diet adherence but had conflicting views on whether the care receiver’s diabetes was under control. Analysis also revealed a discordance between views and observed actions of diabetes care related to monitoring blood glucose levels. Findings suggest that caregivers or other key family members should be considered as active participants in diabetes management among Latinos, which is consistent with American Diabetes Association and Institute of Medicine recommendations for a patient- and family-centered approach to improve care. In addition, family environments that are in flux, chaotic, or low in resources may benefit from increased support to initiate and maintain diabetes management behaviors.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0145721716654007
Mendez-Luck, C. A., Amorim, C. & Anthony, K. (2016). Talk versus action: Comparing the narratives and behaviors of diabetes self-management in Latino caregiving dyads. The Diabetes Educator, x, x-x. DOI: 10.1177/0145721716654007
Learnings from this study were leveraged in my role as Head of Global Experience Research at Dexcom, a maker of a Diabetes Continuous Glucose Monitoring device, where I was a Subject Matter Expert on Latino Diabetes Management Behaviors.