We all love our parents to bits, don’t we? In their old age, the only way we can prove our love to them is to be there for them when they need and prevent them from major catastrophes. As much as we know how important it is to care for them, we don’t understand the necessity of constantly monitoring them unless there is an emergency.
It is quite sad that we consider in-home care for seniors in our family only after they have met with an accident, had a fall in the bathroom, got stranded somewhere due to memory loss or other emergencies. It is imperative that we should protect our loved ones from these situations and provide them with the right amount of care at the right time.
Read on to know when you should opt for in-home care for the seniors in your family:
- Observe their daily pattern
When you have seniors at home, you need to observe them closely on an everyday basis. Are they looking lonely or depressed? Have they lost interest in dressing up properly? Are they so lost in their own world that they forget to brush or take a bath? Do they laugh or cry without any reason? These are the signals that should ring an alarm bell in your mind. When you observe one or all of these symptoms in them, it is time for you to appoint an in-home care agency for them.
- Social disconnect
When a person stops connecting with his/her group totally, it could mean that he/she is experiencing a sudden phobia to groups. This symptom is scarier especially if the senior was a socially active person earlier. If you notice the older adult in your family curling up in his room always without stepping out even for a walk, it should tell you that he/she needs immediate help. Companionship is the need of the hour, in this case. When therapists or companions talk with these seniors and makes them open up about their anxiety, the seniors start feeling much better than before.
- Forgetfulness
This is one of the key symptoms that you have to watch out for in the seniors in your family. Do they forget to take their meals and medicines on time? Do they call you after reaching a shop and ask you the way back home? Do they forget to wear their shoes or comb their hair when they go out? Are they not conscious about their grooming? Do they forget to pay the bills and visit the doctors at the specified time of appointment?
If yes, you cannot disregard these at all. Many people ignore these symptoms as they relate it to old age. However, there is a thin line of demarcation between age-related memory loss and a serious decline in memory. When you observe the symptoms carefully, you will be able to bridge the gap in this difference and get them help at the right time. A slight delay can lead to serious issues such as the seniors getting lost, falling, etc.