Diabetes Screening for Older Adults?

[Guest guest]

The media is starting to make noise about diabetes as an epidemic but as far as

I can

tell that awareness hasn't penetrated standard medical practice. Do older

adults

routinely get screened for diabetes? For example, my mother, overweight and in

her

60's, should obviously (obvious to me) be screened for it, but she won't go out

and

start pricking her own finger. I got tested for gestational diabetes recently

(incidentally I passed with flying colors, but I have a different body type from

my

mother). It was so simple... a sugar drink, then a blood test. They should do

it for

everyone who walks into a doctor's office.

Anyway the gist of my question is, is there currently routine diabetes screening

for

older adults? And if not routine, what kind of test(s) can be requested?

(And for bonus points, how do I convince my mom to request a diabetes test?)

Daphne