Member Article

Signs that your Loved One Needs Senior Care

It’s always difficult to initiate a conversation about senior care with our loved ones as most times concerns about their safety are misconstrued as an attack on their independent living. Hence, it is always a good idea to back your concerns with some evident signs of neglect and incompetency to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs. Some obvious signs that demand a conversation about senior care are briefly discussed below.

Personal Hygiene

If you see your loved ones wearing the same clothes for days, have unkempt hair, smell funny, don’t cut nails, etc., then it may be a sign that they are finding it difficult to keep up with personal hygiene on their own and require outside assistance. Personal care as a part of in-home senior care provides bathing, grooming, and hygiene services through certified home health aides. These trained caregivers give utmost importance to personal space and make these activities as less embarrassing and disconcerting for the seniors as possible.

Memory Loss

It is quite natural that seniors loss cognitive power and memory with aging. However, with some elders this problem becomes so severe that they find it extremely difficult to perform ADLs and instrumental ADLs on their own. Some examples include: forgetting how to eat, sequence of wearing clothes, route to home or other important places, locking doors, to switch off appliances after use, etc. These signs indicate some type of dementia which does put the seniors who are suffering from it and others around them in grave danger. Dementia and Alzheimer’s care is quite useful in such cases as the caregivers specialized in this type of care ensure a safe environment for the client at all times and provide help with ADLs and instrumental ADLs.

Vision Problems

Many seniors don’t want to give up on driving as that would mean they have to rely on someone else for basic chores such as shopping for groceries, going to church or senior center, buying medication for themselves or spouse, etc. However, if there are recent events that point towards problems with driving skills such as accidents, major dents on car, complaint from neighbors or others, etc., then you must calmly discuss alternatives to putting your loved one behind the wheel. Companionship, included within in-home senior care services, provides incidental transportation services so as to accompany seniors to appointments and shopping.

Absent Social Life

Many studies and research papers have shown direct effect of non-existent social life on the health of seniors. Malnutrition, poor hygiene, ignoring medication, and depression are some common problems associated with the absent social life. Companionship helps in augmenting the quality of life of seniors by engaging them in day-to-day activities, encouraging and participating in activities they like, accompany them to nearby places, etc.

There are many events that make it imperative to discuss senior care options with our loved ones. It is important to pick up on these signs and plan for the future to ensure safety of seniors. Personal care and companionship as parts of in-home senior care take care of most of the non-medical senior care needs.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by vinay singh .