Diabetes Treatments

With the aging of the population, physical inactivity, and growing rates of obesity, there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of diabetes. Diabetes and its treatment is a holistic and dynamic experience, shaping many aspects of a person's life and well-being. Despite the biopsychosocial nature of this chronic disease, medications tend to be the principal intervention among medical professionals. Over the past fifteen years, however, diabetes researchers and clinicians have begun to develop interventions addressing the psychosocial aspects of diabetes. The majority of these interventions fall within the knowledge base and clinical abilities of social work practitioners. This paper systematically reviews psychosocial intervention studies with older adults, identifying and summarizing treatment protocols. (C) 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.