Deciding when an aging loved one needs elder care is a difficult task. There's no set age for when a person requires professional care in their home, nor is there an easy way to broach the subject. However, elder care is something many people consider for their loved ones as they age or become too mentally or physically unable to care for themselves, especially for those who want to do in home elder care.
Does your loved one need elder care or can they live alone? This is a question you can discuss with your loved one, their doctor, and a nursing home and assisted living specialist. Use this guide to help you in this decision.
How often do you have to help them?
Does your loved one call you for assistance more than they used to? Are you helping your loved one to do menial tasks, such as putting on their socks, checking their mail, preparing their food, and helping them organize their bills?
It's not uncommon to have to help your elderly loved ones with harder tasks, such as mowing their lawn or doing other heavy lifting, but if you're going over to their house more and more to help them with things they should be able to do unassisted, it's time to consider either in home elder care or at least part time elder care.
How often does your loved one forget things?
Age-related dementia and memory loss is a serious thing that can worsen as your loved one gets older. Approximately 40% of adults 65 and up have some form of memory loss, and around one percent of these cases will be placed in the dementia category, which can be concerning. Pay attention to how much your loved one is forgetting things, such as days of the week, where they left common household items, names and dates of everyday family members, and other things. Elder care may be necessary if your loved one is being so forgetful they neglect their hygiene or forget about regular safety precautions in the home.
How often does your loved one express loneliness?
Being lonely is something that can be combated with the help of in home elder care facilities. What in home elder care will do for your loved one is give them quality attention and companionship in a comfortable environment: their own home. If your loved one is frequently expressing loneliness or fear of living alone, then hiring elder care services for their needs can help everyone have peace of mind.
Share25 June 2020
Recently, my mom took my grandmother to her physician for a regular check-up. During this visit, the doctor discovered my grandmother had a cracked bone in her foot. Due to my grandmother’s dementia, she didn’t know if she had fallen or dropped something on her foot. My family and I decided my grandmother shouldn’t live on her own anymore. Do you desperately desire to protect an elderly loved one from harm? If he or she is currently living alone, consider placing your loved one in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. By making this move, you won’t have to worry anymore about the possibility of your relative falling with no one to help him or her. On this blog, I hope you will discover the numerous benefits of moving a senior loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility. Enjoy!