**1. Introduction**

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) [1], pointed out that rising cases of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are a threat to the public health sector and seventh leading cause of death in South Africa [2]. In Africa, South Africa (SA) is the fifth country with the highest population of diabetes patients which is estimated at 2.6 million and more than 1.5 million people with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus [3], specifically, Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), remains more common where 2 million persons have been diagnosed with T2DM in SA [4]. Diabetes has recently been found to be a high risk Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) linked to COVID deaths worldwide. Central to DM prevalence is obesity which is a leading predisposing factor to all NCDs.

Family members of diabetes patients are already at risk of developing the disease due to family history. Physical and mental health of family members may be negatively affected while taking care of diabetes patient, leading to compromised patient care [5]. Hence the introduction of Family Centered Care (FCC) to lessen the negative consequences of caregiving for individuals diagnosed with DM. Rural areas such as Limpopo Province in SA, have been progressively urbanized, which has led to adoption of unhealthy lifestyles such as physical inactivity and bad eating habits, resulting in rising prevalence of obesity which contribute to poor diabetes outcomes and complications [6].

So far, family-centered diabetes care has been successful and produced better diabetes outcomes in children, who are helped by family members to carry certain relevant tasks related to self-care practices [7]. Less focus has been given to older people who are mostly affected by diabetes [3]. Therefore, this book chapter is intended on closing the gap by advocating for the family-centered diabetes care among older outpatients at rural areas.
