Hello everyone,
Chealsea here with Solutions for seniors
Before we get started today, I would like to thank Home Helpers of Bourbonnais of sponsoring Solutions for Seniors. If you are in the Kankakee county or Will county area call Home Helpers at 815-401-5527 for your home care needs for your loved ones. You can also visit Home Helpers website homehelpereshomecare.com/Kankakee
On this episode, I will be talking about things we need to be looking for with our aging loved ones. When do you step in? How will you know when they need help? Is it too early to intervene? Those are just a couple of the questions all be answering for you today.
How will we know when are loved ones is a need of extra help? One the that is almost certain: Our loved one will not be the ones who tell us that they need a helping hand!
Admitting the need for help and accepting assistance is not easy for anyone and it doesn’t get easier as we age. It may become even harder. The responsibility often falls on the family members to recognize the signs that an aging loved one might need some support with completing activities of daily living. Also known as their ADL’s
Our loved ones have a strong desire to remain independent and in control of their own lives for as long as possible. Sometimes, our loved ones can experience a traumatic event precipitating the realization that they need assistance. Maybe a fall, an overdose of medication, getting lost and unable to get back home. Because as an adult Child we are often unable to participate in making care decisions before a crisis takes place, the added emotional stress of a sudden hospitalization or fall further complicates this process. One thing we can do to avoid this is to start regularly monitoring your parents physical and mental abilities and researching and knowing all of the care option in your loved one’s area and budget. This will ensure that you are prepared should your loved one begin to show signs of needing help.
Warning signs that our aging loved one needs some help in their home. How do you know if its time for help in their home or an increased level of care?
Difficulty performing Routine Activities of Daily living.
Changes in their physical Function or Appearance that would indicate a need for assistance.
Changes in behavior or mental status
Physical Clues that your aging loved one is neglecting household responsibilities
Warning signs that your loved one might be developing a cognitive impairment
If you believe your loved one is experiencing one or more of the indicators I have talked about today, ideally the next step would be to talk to your loved one about their care needs in a way that they are able to participate in identifying the problem and helping come up with a solution.
If these signs are present, it doesn’t necessarily mean move your loved one into an assisted living or nursing home is required. However, these red flags do indicate that daily supportive care is needed. For many families, hiring an agency to help, allows our loved one to stay in the comfort of their home as long as safely possible. Come back next week while I go over how to pick the right Home Care agencies for your loved ones and everything you need to know, when looking into Home care.
Thank you for joining me this week on solutions for senior’s podcast. Join me next week to talk about all the things we need to know while helping an aging loved one. Stay safe and well!