Nearly 16% of American adults live with diabetes, which means there’s a good chance someone in your life manages the condition every day. Helping them doesn’t require a medical degree. It takes knowing a few practical skills, understanding what daily management looks like, and recognizing when a situation turns serious. The most useful support covers everything from shared meals and exercise to emergency response.
Recognizing and Treating Low Blood Sugar
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is the most common emergency you might encounter. It happens when blood glucose drops below 70 mg/dL, and it can come on fast. The person may become shaky, sweaty, confused, irritable, or unusually tired. They might slur words or seem disoriented, almost like they’re drunk. Knowing what this looks like matters because the person experiencing it may not recognize the symptoms themselves.
The standard treatment is called the 15-15 rule: give 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, then wait 15 minutes. That’s about four glucose tablets, half a cup of juice, or a tablespoon of honey. After 15 minutes, check blood sugar again if a meter is available. If it’s still below 70, repeat with another 15 grams. Once levels come back up, follow with a balanced snack that includes protein and carbs, like peanut butter crackers or cheese and fruit, to keep blood sugar stable.
If the person loses consciousness or can’t swallow safely, don’t try to put food or liquid in their mouth. This is when emergency glucagon comes in. Many people with diabetes keep a glucagon kit at home, and you should know where it is and how to use it before you ever need it. Nasal glucagon works like a nasal spray: you insert the tip into one nostril and press the plunger. No mixing, no needles. Pre-mixed glucagon pens are also straightforward: remove the cap, inject into the outer upper arm, thigh, or lower stomach at a 90-degree angle. Older kits require mixing a powder with a liquid before injecting, so read the instructions ahead of time. After giving glucagon to someone who’s unconscious, roll them onto their side to prevent choking if they vomit, and call 911.
Knowing When It’s a Medical Emergency
On the opposite end, blood sugar that stays dangerously high can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition. The warning signs include fast, deep breathing, fruity-smelling breath, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, extreme fatigue, and dry skin or mouth. If the person’s blood sugar stays at or above 300 mg/dL, their breath smells fruity, they’re vomiting and can’t keep anything down, or they’re struggling to breathe, call 911 immediately. DKA progresses quickly, and it’s not something you can treat at home.
Helping With Meals
One of the most meaningful, everyday ways to help is sharing meals that work for blood sugar management. This doesn’t mean cooking separate “diabetic food.” It means learning a few principles that make meals better for everyone.
The plate method is the simplest framework: picture a 9-inch dinner plate. Fill half with nonstarchy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, or green beans. Fill one quarter with lean protein such as chicken, beans, tofu, or eggs. Fill the remaining quarter with carbohydrate foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, or fruit. Pairing carbs with protein, fat, or fiber slows down how quickly blood sugar rises, which is why whole fruit is better than fruit juice and whole grains are better than refined white bread or pasta.
Consistency matters too. Eating roughly the same amount of carbs at each meal helps prevent the swings between high and low blood sugar. If you’re cooking for someone with diabetes, keeping portions predictable is just as helpful as choosing the right ingredients. When eating out together, splitting an entrée or asking for half the meal boxed up can make restaurant portions more manageable. At home, serving food from the stove rather than putting bowls on the table reduces the temptation to go back for seconds.
Being a Safe Exercise Partner
Physical activity is one of the best things for blood sugar control, but it also carries a real risk of hypoglycemia, especially for people who take insulin. Having an exercise partner who understands this risk makes a significant difference.
Before starting any activity, the person with diabetes should check their blood sugar. Encourage checking again during longer sessions and after finishing. If you’re hiking, cycling, or doing anything sustained for more than two hours, bring fast-acting carbs like glucose tablets or juice boxes. Unplanned physical activity, like a spontaneous game of basketball, is particularly risky because the person hasn’t had a chance to adjust their insulin dose or eat in preparation.
Make sure the person you’re exercising with wears a medical ID bracelet or tag. If they experience a severe low and can’t communicate, that tag helps bystanders or paramedics respond appropriately. Know where they keep their glucose tablets or emergency supplies, and don’t hesitate to speak up if you notice signs of confusion, shakiness, or unusual fatigue during a workout.
Using Technology to Stay Connected
Many people with diabetes now wear continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) that track blood sugar in real time. Most CGM apps allow data sharing, meaning you can receive glucose readings and alerts on your own smartphone or smartwatch with the person’s permission. This is especially valuable for partners, parents, or adult children who want to help without hovering.
The most important alerts to pay attention to are low blood sugar warnings. Highs tend to be temporary and less immediately dangerous, so many care partners set their high alerts at a higher threshold to avoid constant notifications. Low blood sugar, on the other hand, can become life-threatening. One care partner in a research study on shared monitoring described feeling relief knowing that alarms would wake them if their spouse’s glucose dropped overnight.
If you’re setting up shared monitoring, have an honest conversation about boundaries. Discuss which alerts you’ll both respond to and how. The goal is collaboration, not surveillance. The person with diabetes should always feel in control of their own care.
Checking Feet (Yes, Really)
This sounds minor, but foot care is one of the most overlooked aspects of diabetes management. Over time, high blood sugar damages nerves in the feet, which means cuts, blisters, and sores can go completely unnoticed. Small injuries that don’t heal can become serious infections.
If you’re a caregiver for someone with diabetes, especially someone with limited mobility or vision, a daily foot check takes less than a minute. Look between all the toes and along the soles for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, or any area that feels noticeably warmer than the same spot on the other foot. A significant temperature difference between the two feet can signal infection. Also watch for dry, cracking skin and any sores that aren’t healing. Catching problems early can prevent hospitalizations and, in serious cases, amputations.
Providing Emotional Support
Diabetes never takes a day off. Every meal, every activity, every illness requires calculation and adjustment. Over time, this constant vigilance leads to what’s called diabetes distress: a mix of frustration, anger, worry, and burnout that makes it hard to keep up with daily management. If feelings like these persist for more than a week or two, it’s a sign the person needs support.
The most helpful thing you can do is ask how they’re feeling and actually listen. Many people with diabetes say that simply being honest with someone about how hard it is brings relief. But be careful not to become a source of stress yourself. Policing someone’s food choices, commenting on their blood sugar numbers, or nagging about medication can backfire. Instead, ask directly: “How can I help in a way that’s actually useful to you?” Some people want a partner who’ll cook healthy meals with them. Others want someone to come along to a doctor’s appointment. Some just need to vent without being told what to do.
Helping With Travel
Traveling with diabetes requires extra planning, and helping someone organize their supplies makes the process less stressful. A travel kit should include more medication and testing supplies than the trip requires, since delays happen. Insulin, syringes, glucose meters, and glucagon kits are all allowed in carry-on bags by the TSA, but they need to be declared to security officers and placed in a separate bin for X-ray screening. Never pack insulin in checked luggage, since the cargo hold can reach temperatures that destroy it.
If you’re traveling together, know where the diabetes supplies are stored. Carry some fast-acting carbs in your own bag as a backup. When crossing time zones, medication timing may need to shift, so help keep track of when doses are due. Small logistical support like this can turn a stressful trip into a manageable one.