As adult children, it can be difficult to admit that our parents need help, and it can be even harder for our aging parents to accept it. However, ignoring the warning signs only puts our loved ones at risk. Rather than waiting for a crisis to occur, it’s best to be proactive. Here are four signs it’s time to consider home care for your parents.
4 Signs Your Parents Need Home Care Services
While home care is sometimes prompted by an injury from a fall or a chronic illness, here are four other less obvious signs that your parents are in need of more help at home.
Your Parent’s Heath or Hygiene is Suffering
Aside from injuries from falls, be on the lookout for other changes in your mom and dad’s health. For instance, if your parents are forgetting to take their medication, or they’ve lost weight because they are unable to shop for and prepare balanced meals, these are serious concerns. Likewise, if your parent looks disheveled and ungroomed, or is skipping baths and wearing dirty clothes, this is a good indication that they would benefit from in-home care.
Your Parent has Become Forgetful
If you notice that your parent’s memory lapses have begun to interfere with daily life and activities, a home care professional in Saratoga can often help. Missed doctor appointments, getting lost, failing to pay bills, and falling victim to a scam are all common warning signs, and many of these mishaps can be prevented with in-home care. Just remember that if your parent has been diagnosed with advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, more permanent long-term care may be a better solution.
Your Parent is Exhibiting Signs of Depression or Aggression
Social isolation and ailing health can contribute to depression in seniors, so take note if your parent is sleeping excessively, consuming too much alcohol/pain medication, or no longer doing the things they love. Sudden bursts of anger or aggression are also common behavioral warning signs. While more serious cases may require the help of a psychiatric professional, mild cases of depression can often be eased with visits from a companion caregiver or home health aide.
You are Experiencing Caregiver Burnout
Caring for an aging loved one is mentally and physically taxing, particularly if your parent has been diagnosed with dementia, or requires assistance getting out of bed and walking. While most adult children want to help their parents as much as possible, if your own mental or physical health is suffering, or you find that you are unable to keep up with your responsibilities at home or work, it’s time to talk about home care options.
Hiring Senior Home Care for Your Parents
The decision to hire a senior home care professional can bring up feelings of guilt for adult children, and is often met with reluctance from parents. However, it’s important to remember that hiring a home care professional doesn’t mean that you’re abandoning your parent, it just means you need supplemental support, and parents need to understand that home care services are not designed to take away their independence, but rather to give them the freedom to age in place.
If you are considering home care for your parents, we invite you to learn more about Wesley Senior Solutions. We offer temporary and long-term in-home nursing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as non-medical companion care for seniors in Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Warren Counties.
To arrange for a professional in-home nursing assessment, contact us or call (518) 584-1200.