Self-management is defined as patients taking an active part in the management of
their chronic conditions with appropriate clinical, social,
and emotional support. The American Diabetes Association
recommends self-management of diabetes including dietary
adjustment, physical activity, management of diabetes medications,
and compliance with medical follow-up for monitoring,
as an integral component of all patient care plans.6 Thus,
it is important to establish a self-management approach for
patients with diabetes in primary care. However, several studies
have shown that deteriorating functional and cognitive
ability hinders their self-care management7–10 and increases
the use of both health and social services.11 Cognitive and
functional impairment are common complications in patients
with diabetes;12–14 this disability is particularly apparent in
the elderly.15,16 Hendra and Sinclair showed that the primary
care management approach for older patients differs from
that for younger adults because of the presence of age-related
changes in functional and mental ability.17