Endocrine Practice · Oct 23, 2026

Practical consideration for the application of continuous glucose monitoring in older adults with insulin treated diabetes

By Czupryniak L, Mysliwiec M, Gellert R et al.

The increased prevalence of diabetes among older individuals presents challenges for delivery of effective care for each older person with diabetes, for their families, and for healthcare providers. Along with established risks for microvascular and macrovascular disease, diabetes in older adults is also associated with risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia, depression and physical frailty. Many of these risk factors are linked to hypoglycaemia, which in turn can be related to polypharmacy and overprescribing in older individuals. Use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology is proven to prevent hypoglycaemia and can mitigate many averse outcomes of frailty, both in type 1 diabetes (T1D and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Similarly, use of CGM improves glucose stability, reducing risks for vascular complications of diabetes. Intrinsic capacity (IC) is a concept used in geriatric medicine to provide an objective composite of physical and mental capacities that an older individual can draw on. Reduced IC is associated with a number of CGM metrics, including time in range (TIR), time above range (TAR), rather than hypoglycaemia. Use of CGM can also facilitate telemedicine for adults with diabetes and frailty, reducing the burden of clinic attendance and increasing the frequency of healthcare contacts, further increasing the quality of care and quality of life for older individuals with diabetes. Given the significant benefits, the application of CGM alongside geriatric principles can be proposed to improve overall care and outcomes for people with diabetes.

doi.org/10.1016/j.eprac.2026.10.010PubMed 42918618Interventions