Most of the elderly family members can handle personal duties such as cooking, bathing, and cleaning without any problem. However, as age or sicknesses progresses, they may find it hard even to for the simplest of the jobs.
However, it may be hard to determine when they need help, especially if you do not get time to visit them regularly. Here are tell-tale signs that they need a helping hand.
Worsening Health
As we grow older, our bodies tend to grow weaker and have a high probability of catching one of the terminal illnesses. If your elderly relatives have any terminal condition such as diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, or Alzheimer’s disease, they may need close monitoring as their bodies get frail. Even where the loved one looks healthy, with these conditions, there is a high likelihood of an emergency. There needs to be someone around during such an eventuality.
A Changed Mental or Behavioural Status
You may notice a gradual change in the mental status of your loved one. They may also get increasingly agitated by trivial things. Others may have difficulty remembering where they placed items, places, and names of close family members. You may also notice a loss of interest in their long-cherished hobbies or lack of motivation to engage in any activity. Others may present physical and verbal abuse whenever you visit them.
On the other hand, if the senior is developing any form of dementia, you may notice repetitive speech patterns, regular memory lapses, forgetting to take their medication or taking the wrong dosage, confusion, and poor judgment.
Deterioration in physical Health and Appearance
The elderly may experience a rapid weight loss due to poor eating habits that may have resulted from difficulty in cooking, inability to choose the right food, or difficulty in getting to the grocery shop to buy some food. On the other hand, the person in question may be dirty with unkempt hair or a strong body odor due to infrequent bathing. Their appearance may also be sloppy due to poor dressing.
Other signs include noticeable burns, wounds, and bruises on the body that may indicate that the senior member may have had a fire accident or fallen at some point.
Inability to Complete Household Activities
If the seniors are unable to complete their household duties, it may be time they got a helping hand. This may be evidenced by clutter, extremely dirty house, or spoiled food that is not thrown away. You may also notice that the refuse is not collected or the lawn maintained. If they are still driving, you may notice scratches and dents on the vehicles. The seniors may also be unable to pay their bills and you may notice many late payment notices and lots of unopened mail.
Seek Quality Assistance
If you notice any of these signs when you visit your loved ones, consider looking for a caregiver. You may go for professional live-in care services or take your loved one to a home that offers assisted living. Most relatives may prefer living with a caregiver than moving to a home for the elderly. It is important to act quickly, as most of these cases may lead to injury or health deterioration.