ABSTRACT
As people live longer, there is an increasing number of men and women struggling with chronic illnesses. Diabetes (Type 2) is one chronic condition that is on the rise. Millions of new diabetes cases are diagnosed each year. The number of individuals in the USA living with this debilitating disease is 26 million; of these 10.9 million are over the age of 65 (Briscoe, 2014). An even greater number of older adults are diagnosed with pre-diabetes (Bernstein & Munoz, 2016). This chapter addresses factors that influence the successful management of chronic conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes. While Type 2 diabetes is a condition often managed by a healthy lifestyle, researchers suggest that it is also one of the most difficult chronic illnesses to manage (Samuel-Hodge et. al., 2000). Coping and adjusting to any chronic condition is dependent upon personal and social resources available to the individual (Ridder, Geenen, Kuijer, & Middendorp, 2008).
