The type of care aging adults need will vary depending on their mental, physical, and emotional health. As a family caregiver, monitoring your senior loved one’s needs regularly allows you to provide the assistance he or she requires to stay as safe and healthy as possible. The warning signs your loved one needs around-the-clock care will vary, but below are some of the most common indications that should never be ignored.
1. Poor Hygiene
Body odor, bad breath, and other signs of poor hygiene should be taken seriously. It could signify your parent cannot care for him or herself and requires additional help. In some cases, your loved one might need constant care from you and other family members or professional caregivers. The lack of hygiene could be due to memory loss, physical challenges, or other factors.
If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading provider of elderly home care. Assisting Hands Home Care provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
2. Isolation
Living alone doesn’t mean seniors should be by themselves constantly. Without social interaction, mental, emotional, and physical health can decrease significantly. When your parent becomes less active, take this as a sign constant care may be necessary. The objective is to boost quality of life instead of increasing isolation and loneliness.
3. Lack of Nutrition
If your loved one faces difficulty with meals, this may be a sign he or she needs consistent care daily. This can include shopping for food, cooking meals, and keeping the kitchen clean. It also allows you to ensure your parent is receiving reminders to take his or her medication properly, especially prescriptions that must be taken with food. However, you should take the around-the-clock care process easy and gradually increase the steps over time.
4. Wandering
Going outdoors, especially at night, isn’t always safe for older adults. Wandering could signify forgetfulness caused by a disease such as dementia, a reaction to medications, or aging in general. Try to monitor your loved one’s movements more, and utilize cameras and other devices to determine if he or she is wandering at night. Don’t wait long before stepping in and providing constant care because it could jeopardize your loved one’s health and safety.
Certain age-related conditions can make it more challenging for seniors to age in place safely and comfortably, but Fort Lauderdale home care experts are available around the clock to help seniors manage their health. Whether your loved one is living with dementia or recovering from a stroke, you can trust the professional caregivers from Assisting Hands Home Care to enhance his or her quality of life.
5. Stress & Depression
These are among the most common signs a senior is going through health issues, but they’re often ignored or considered part of the aging process. Many family members will think their loved ones’ stress and depression are due to the loss of particular abilities or the deaths of friends. However, they could be due to pain and various health conditions. Therefore, it would be best to speak with your loved one to determine the problem and take him or her to the doctor for an examination.
6. Worsening Illnesses
As some conditions continue to develop, specifically those that limit the ability to move, think, and act, it will be nearly impossible for older adults to continue living alone or with limited care. Go slowly when implementing the around-the-clock care process. There are ways to customize daily responsibilities so your parent can try to take them on safely and with more confidence.
The type of at-home care Fort Lauderdale, FL, seniors need can vary. Some need assistance a few hours a day, while others require more extensive around-the-clock assistance. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we tailor our care plans based on each senior’s individual care needs, and the plans can be adjusted at any time. To talk to one of our friendly Care Managers and create a customized senior care plan, call us at +1 754-900-5102.
