Diabetes Care at Home

Reviewed by Felicia Mabry, RN, WCC · Updated May 20, 2026

Diabetes is the most common diagnosis our nurses see, and it is usually not the reason a patient was in the hospital. It is the condition sitting underneath the pneumonia, the wound or the heart attack, and it makes recovery from all of those harder when blood sugar runs high.

Many patients go home on a new insulin regimen, which is a lot to learn in a hospital discharge conversation. Our nurses teach on the patient's own pen or vials and meter, watch the first few home injections, and set up a simple log so the physician can adjust doses from real numbers. A continuous glucose monitor, if you have one, can share readings with your care team directly.

Feet deserve a daily look, especially if you have lost some feeling in them. A small blister or cut that goes unnoticed for a week can become a wound that takes months to heal. Look at the tops, bottoms and between the toes every day, with a mirror if needed, and never go barefoot, even indoors.

Sick days need a plan made in advance. When you are ill, blood sugar often rises even if you are not eating. Keep taking long-acting insulin unless your doctor has told you otherwise, check more often, drink fluids and know the number at which you call.