Living with diabetes means constant vigilance. But monitoring blood sugar, managing medications, and making lifestyle changes can feel overwhelming. Preferred Care at Home has been helping patients and families across the Knoxville area and surrounding communities for over 40 years, providing dedicated diabetes care services that help you maintain your quality of life while avoiding complications.
Preferred Care at Home has served East Tennessee families since 1984, bringing four decades of experience in helping patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions maintain their health and independence at home. Our caregivers undergo a rigorous 7-step screening process to ensure they can properly assist adults living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and pre diabetes.
What sets us apart is our commitment to personalized care that adapts to your unique diabetes management needs. We don’t provide cookie-cutter services. Our caregivers work with you and your treatment team to address your blood sugar monitoring, support your nutrition goals, help you manage medications, and encourage the physical activity and healthy eating habits your doctor recommends.
When diabetes requires constant attention to blood sugar levels, medication schedules, and lifestyle factors, having reliable daily support makes all the difference. Our personal care services in East Tennessee provide the consistent assistance you need to stay on track with your diabetes care plan and avoid the complications that come from missed doses or poor glucose control.
Our trained caregivers assist with blood sugar monitoring, help you understand when levels are too high or too low, and ensure you follow your physician’s instructions for managing diabetes. They work with you to maintain the routine and schedule that keeps your disease under control while respecting your independence and dignity.
Living with diabetes doesn’t mean giving up the activities and connections that bring energy and joy to your life. Our Companion and Homemaker Care services help you stay engaged with your community. Companion caregivers provide transportation to appointments with your endocrinology team, accompany you to diabetes education classes, and even connect you with ADA-recognized support group meetings.
They encourage physical activity through walks and outings, help you make healthy food choices when shopping, and provide the social connection that keeps you motivated to manage your condition effectively.
Nutrition is one of the most challenging aspects of diabetes control. Our homemaker care services include meal planning and preparation assistance that helps you maintain healthy eating habits, manage your carbohydrate intake, and control your weight—all essential factors in managing diabetes and reducing your risk of complications.
Our caregivers work with the nutrition guidelines provided by your healthcare team and the American Diabetes Association to prepare meals that support your blood sugar goals. They assist with grocery shopping to help you make informed choices, prepare diabetic-friendly meals, and create a sustainable approach to eating that doesn’t feel like deprivation.
Managing insulin pump therapy, taking oral medications on schedule, and tracking doses requires organization and consistency. Our caregivers provide reliable medication reminders and assist with the complex medication regimens many people with diabetes require to maintain glucose control and prevent complications related to heart disease, kidney problems, and other risks.
Whether you use an insulin pump, take multiple daily injections, rely on oral medications, or manage a combination approach, our team ensures you stay on schedule. We can also help you monitor for side effects, track your blood sugar response to medications, and communicate any concerns to your doctor.
Modern diabetes care often involves technologies such as continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and data-tracking apps. While these tools provide better control, they can feel overwhelming—especially for older adults managing diabetes. Our caregivers provide patient assistance with diabetes technology, helping you understand the data, respond to alerts, and make the most of these advanced tools.
Our team can help you learn to use a continuous glucose monitor, understand the readings and trends, and know when to contact your healthcare provider. For those using insulin pump therapy, we offer reminders about site changes, help troubleshoot basic issues, and ensure you’re getting the full benefits of this advanced treatment approach.
Your doctor and certified diabetes care education specialist provide valuable diabetes self-management education, but remembering everything from those appointments can be challenging. Our caregivers reinforce what you learn in your education program, helping you apply the knowledge in your daily life at home in East Tennessee.
We support your efforts to make lifestyle changes, encourage you to practice healthy eating habits, remind you to engage in physical activity, and help you see how different factors affect your blood sugar. While we’re not certified diabetes educators ourselves, we work closely with your education team to ensure the lessons from your classes and appointments become sustainable daily habits.
We take a thoughtful, personalized approach to ensure your loved one receives the care they deserve.
Step 01
Selecting caregivers whose personality aligns with your loved one’s.
Step 02
We meet in your home to understand unique needs and routines.
Step 03
Creating a personalized plan addressing specific dementia needs.
Step 04
Selecting caregivers whose personality aligns with your loved one’s.
Step 05
Regular check-ins and access to our Transparency Room portal.
East Tennessee’s lifestyle and healthcare landscape create unique challenges for people managing diabetes. Here’s how we help:
Challenge
Description
How We Help
Access to Diabetes Education
What It Looks Like
Many East Tennessee patients struggle to attend diabetes self-management education programs due to transportation barriers or conflicting work schedules.
How We Help
We provide transportation to education classes and diabetes support group meetings, ensuring you can access the diabetes education you need.
Challenge
Managing Multiple Medications
What It Looks Like
Adults with diabetes often take numerous medications for blood sugar control, blood pressure, and cholesterol, creating complex schedules that are easy to miss.
How We Help
Our caregivers provide consistent medication reminders and tracking, helping you avoid missed doses that could lead to complications.
Challenge
Nutrition Challenges in Food Culture
What It Looks Like
East Tennessee’s rich food traditions often center on comfort foods high in carbohydrates and sugars, making healthy eating difficult for people trying to control diabetes.
How We Help
We assist with meal planning and preparation that honors your culture while supporting your nutrition goals and blood sugar management.
Challenge
Weight Management Struggles
What It Looks Like
Obesity increases insulin resistance and makes diabetes harder to control, but losing weight requires sustained lifestyle changes that are difficult alone.
How We Help
Our caregivers support your weight management efforts through healthy meal prep, encouragement for physical activity, and accountability for lifestyle changes.
Challenge
Isolation and Depression
What It Looks Like
Living with a chronic disease can lead to social withdrawal and depression, which negatively affect diabetes management and increase health risks.
How We Help
Companion and Homemaker Care provides emotional support, social connection, and encouragement that helps you stay motivated to care for your health.
Challenge
Transportation to Specialized Care
What It Looks Like
Accessing endocrinology specialists, certified diabetes care education programs, and diabetes centers often requires travel to larger cities like Chattanooga or Knoxville.
How We Help
We provide reliable transportation to appointments, ensuring you can maintain contact with your specialized healthcare providers without stress.
Our office staff lives and works in East Tennessee alongside the families we serve. When you call our Knoxville office, you reach neighbors who understand life in East TN.
We Serve:
Andersonville
Bearden
Cedar Bluff
Claxton
Clinton
Fountain City
Gatlinburg
Halls
Hardin Valley
Harriman
South Knoxville
Diabetes care costs vary based on the level of assistance needed and hours of care required. We offer flexible scheduling from just one hour to 24-hour care, so you only pay for the support your condition truly requires. Many clients find that consistent daily visits for medication reminders and blood sugar monitoring are most beneficial. Our specialty has always been affordable quality care, and we accept new patients daily. We provide free consultations to discuss your specific diabetes management needs and how our services can help you avoid costly complications.
We bring over 40 years of continuous experience to every person we serve. Our founders, including two registered nurses with backgrounds in chronic disease management, still actively mentor our network. Unlike corporate chains, we’re a family-run organization now in our third generation with deep roots and history in East Tennessee. Every caregiver passes our rigorous 7-step screening process and receives training in diabetes care basics. We match caregivers based on personality compatibility and dedication to helping patients achieve better health outcomes.
The right choice depends on how diabetes affects your daily life and what support you need most. If you primarily need help with transportation to appointments, meal preparation, and encouragement for healthy lifestyle changes, Companion and Homemaker Care may be sufficient. When you require assistance with medication management, blood sugar monitoring, and more hands-on support with daily activities affected by diabetes complications, personal care services become essential. During a free in-home consultation, we help you evaluate your situation and often recommend combining both services for comprehensive diabetes management support.
We understand that diabetes management challenges often create urgent needs, especially after a hospital stay or new diagnosis. After your initial consultation and assessment, we can typically begin care within days. Our careful caregiver matching process ensures we find someone who understands diabetes care and is compatible with your personality, but we won’t sacrifice quality for speed. For urgent situations following hospitalization, we work with families to arrange care quickly.
If you’re struggling to maintain consistent blood sugar levels, missing medication doses, finding it difficult to follow your doctor’s nutrition recommendations, or feeling overwhelmed by the daily demands of diabetes management, it’s worth getting an assessment. Other signs include recent diabetes-related hospitalizations, difficulty affording or accessing diabetes education programs, or feeling isolated and depressed about your diagnosis. Getting support early can help you avoid serious complications and improve your quality of life significantly.
Absolutely. Our caregivers work alongside your endocrinologist, primary care physician, certified diabetes care education specialist, and other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care. We can help with transportation to appointments, communicate observations about blood sugar patterns or medication side effects, and support implementation of treatment plan changes. Whether you’re adjusting insulin doses, starting new medications, or learning to use diabetes technology, our team ensures your doctor’s instructions are followed at home and keeps your providers informed of any concerns.
While our caregivers are not certified diabetes care education specialists, they reinforce the diabetes education you receive from your healthcare team. They help you apply what you learn in diabetes self-management education programs to your daily life, remind you of healthy eating principles, encourage physical activity, and support the lifestyle changes your education specialist recommends. We work as partners with your certified educators to help you achieve and maintain better diabetes control through consistent daily support.
We support patients using all forms of diabetes technology. Our caregivers can help you learn to use a continuous glucose monitor, understand the data it provides, and respond appropriately to alerts. For those using insulin pump therapy, we offer reminders about routine maintenance, help troubleshoot basic issues, and ensure you’re managing the technology confidently. We coordinate closely with your diabetes center or endocrinology office to ensure our support aligns with their training and recommendations for your specific devices.
Every caregiver undergoes our comprehensive 7-step screening process, which includes background checks, reference verification, skills assessments, and personality evaluations. We provide specialized training in diabetes basics, including blood sugar monitoring, recognizing signs of high and low glucose, understanding insulin resistance and how diabetes medications work, and supporting healthy lifestyle changes. Our caregivers learn about the risk factors for complications, the importance of consistent care, and how to work effectively with diabetes healthcare teams. This rigorous preparation ensures quality and knowledgeable support.
Yes. We provide care for women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who need extra support managing blood sugar during pregnancy, following nutrition guidelines, and adjusting to this temporary but serious condition. Our caregivers can help with blood sugar monitoring, meal preparation following dietary restrictions, transportation to frequent prenatal appointments, and provide the extra assistance and energy needed during pregnancy. We also support new mothers who need help managing diabetes while caring for an infant, ensuring both mother and baby stay healthy.
