Home Care Assistance: Tell-Tall Signs Your Loved One Needs Help

For many of us, acknowledging that an aging parent or loved one needs help is a difficult process. As our parents age, they depend on us more and more and eventually will need additional help at home. Tell-tale signs that your parent or loved one could benefit from home care include the inability to comfortably perform routine tasks including bathing and dressing, neglect of housekeeping tasks, and the inability to run errands or drive.

In general, consider the following areas:

Mobility Issues – Difficulty walking, unsteady when standing, falling down, stumbling.
Disinterest in Personal Health – Changes in eating or cooking habits, spoiled or outdated food in the refrigerator, lack of nutritious food in the pantry or freezer.
Disinterest in Personal Hygiene – Wearing the same clothes, wearing soiled or unkempt clothing, lack of bathing or oral care, unkempt hair or nails.
Changes in Personal Habits – Loss of interest in hobbies, reluctance to socialize, unopened mail or unpaid bills, changes in housekeeping methods, lack of home or car maintenance.
Loss of Mental Acuity – Memory loss, confusion, difficulty in concentration, poor judgment, forgets medication or has become confused about dosage, unusual purchases of goods or services, mood or other personality changes, increase or decrease in sleep, fatigue.

If you feel your aging loved one falls into one of the categories above, there are many different senior care options your family can look into. You can contact a local geriatric care manager to help assess your family’s needs and determine the best option. Some options include:

Adult day care – A daily program, usually Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm, that offers participants the opportunity to socialize, enjoy peer support and receive health and social services in a safe, familiar environment.
Senior/Retirement communities – An independent living option featuring apartments or single family homes in a small community setting for seniors who need little if any help with their daily activities.
Assisted living facilities – A residential option for seniors who want or need help with some of the activities of daily living such as cooking meals, keeping the house clean and bathing.
Home care – Non-medical home care services include companionship, light housekeeping, cooking and many other household activities and chores provided in the comfort of a senior’s own home. Home Care Assistance provides highly trained caregivers for your loved one in their home on an hourly or live-in basis.

With this knowledge, think about your loved one’s health and wellness and discuss options early.