10 Signs Your Aging Parent Might Need Home Care

You will start to see it as a mere sign that like any other person, your parent is ageing. They may have a problem bending to fetch things, might develop frequent body aches or start to have a forgetful memory. It is under these circumstances that your parent needs even more care and monitoring.

Also, if you notice that your parent finds it unusually difficult to do daily chores, it is a subtly cry for help. You need to be vary of these little things to be able to look out for unusual signs that might indicate to the gravity of the situation.

Understanding the needs of the old

Coming to terms with the fact that your parent needs senior care and needs to be consulted with an elderly care institution can be a tough realisation. But it’s a necessary one. It will make the process of accepting senility much easier for the patient. You need to remember that it’s as hard for them as it is for you.

But this does not mean that you need to shift your parent out of the house to a facility. Home care for seniors has made it very easy for people to get help and care for their parents right in front of their eyes in the vicinity of their homes.

Senior home care services provide trustworthy health care givers who are professionally qualified to help your parent in the age that they are. At this juncture, all that you need is the help of a person who can ease things for your ageing parent. And elderly care is not everyone’s cup of tea; a person needs to be very cautious when they are in this job.

Looking out for signs

There are a few clear signs that you need to look out for in the daily routine of your parent that might mean that your parent needs the help of a home care. This will involve you closely monitoring them for a specific period of time and take a note of the unusual things or things you find alarming. Some of these are:

1. Difficulty maintaining posture: If you see that your parent is having problem standing on their own, it can be a sign of serious problems. This could medically mean a lot of things but it is a clear sign that your parent cannot handle themselves on their own.
   You’ll notice that they need support to get up and someone always needs to walk them all the time.
2. Forgetful behaviour : Be it missing a doctor’s appointment, or forgetting to take their medicines on time or even forget what they had for the last meal, a hazy memory can be dangerous and at times, fatal for the patient.
   And in case they have a mild case of dementia or Alzheimer’s, leaving your parent on their own can prove to be harmful for them.
3. Instances of not taking care of themselves: This could be because of the forgetful memory, but if you notice that instances of your parent not being able to take care of themselves are an indication that they need someone with them 24×7.
   It can include daily chores, getting food, taking pills, going for the daily walk or keeping themselves occupied.
4. Problem driving: This is one very prominent problem that will arise if your parent shows signs that they need help. Their joint ache all the time, vision gets blurry and driving on their own in these circumstances can be life threatening.
5. Messy surroundings : Understandably, with age the efficiency of a person reduces to almost nil. So, you’ll start to see that their surroundings will start to get messy and remain that way.
   The linens will be undone, the clothes will be dirty and the house will be covered in dust. It can get unhygienic and bad for the person. Clutter always means that there is a problem.
6. Mismanaged groceries and kitchen: Disorderly arrangement of the kitchen is one of the earliest signs to spot here. Empty kitchen with no groceries and even a mismanaged kitchen can mean that preparing a meal for themselves on their own is becoming difficult for them.
   Ultimately, dietary deficiency will take a toll on their health.
7. Frequent accidents: Whether it’s frequently getting cuts while working in the kitchen or forgetting to turn off the gas stove, the elderly become prone to accidents with age. Having a slip in the washroom or having a fall on the stairs can lead to a concussion which can also lead to death in extreme cases.
8. Inability to maintain personal hygiene: If the hygiene is poor, all things sick will follow. And this is the last thing you want as an offspring of a person who now needs care 24×7. If you see that there is a pattern of your parents not being able to maintain hygiene, it is a call for help.
   They would be unable to take baths on their own, get up to brush their teeth or change clothes daily. This can be harmful in time.
9. Severe weight loss in a short time: This will be because of poor diet, which will be followed due to inability to cook three times a day. Unwanted weight loss in senility is an alarming sign and should be looked into as soon as possible.
10. No interest in hobbies: When you notice that your parent is losing interest in things that once interested them and is no longer interested in pursuing their hobbies, it is rather a sign of depression which can be due to a lot of things. This is a sure shot help that they need someone with them 24×7 and that they need help.

Senior home care services are a boon these days for working professionals who cannot stay at home all the time to look after their parents but want to help their parents who are ageing. If you see these signs and more, it is time for you to get in touch with a reliable home care for seniors like Papaya care.