Why were there changes in the patient’s diabetes care regimen after they were moved to hospice care?

During hospice care, the patient is eating and drinking less than they usually do, leading to less need for diabetes medication. In addition, diabetes medication is no longer used with the aim of reducing long-term complications, since the patient’s life expectancy is limited. That’s why slightly higher blood glucose levels than usual may be considered acceptable, as long as they are not harming the patient. For a patient receiving hospice care, blood glucose levels that are lower than desired are more harmful than those above the ideal. That’s why it’s safer to aim for somewhat higher blood glucose levels than what the patient is used to.