Caregiver stress can shoot through the roof the more our elderly loved ones age. When you’re close to the situation, sometimes it might be hard to spot when your loved one needs more help than you can offer. Don’t be worried if you do spot these signs in your loved one; care for the elderly doesn’t mean nursing homes thanks to alternative care options like adult day care. Watch for these signs that your loved one needs a little extra TLC.
When to Seek Care for Elderly Loved Ones
The house is falling apart
If you’ve been caring for your aging loved one who lives alone, you might start to notice things in their home are falling apart. Are dishes and leftover food left out until you get there to take care of it? Are broken appliances going unrepaired? Have they stopped cleaning like they used to? Even relocating to an assisted living community isn’t enough care for elderly family members who have reached this point.
Your aging loved one might not reveal the true struggle they’re experiencing when it comes to keeping up with everyday chores and repairs. Keep an eye out, so things don’t go unnoticed.
Physical appearance changes
As our parents, grandparents, or other loved ones start to age, day-to-day duties become more difficult. This includes bathing, dressing, ironing, and more. If you notice your elderly family member has stopped keeping up with their appearance, be concerned. Have they worn the same outfits for days at a time? Do they look disheveled like they haven’t taken care of their personal hygiene?
More than clothes and jewelry, pay attention to your loved one’s body. Your elderly family member might stop feeding themselves. The reasons could vary—cooking is too hard, they’re depressed, or they simply forgot—but whatever the reason, it’s a sign it’s time to get care for elderly loved ones.
Missing out on friends, family, and hobbies
If your elderly loved one who was once a social butterfly stops communicating with friends, and especially family, it’s a sign. Whether the social withdrawal is due to depression or general aging, caring for the elderly at home won’t be enough to push them out of their new shell. An adult day care program for seniors is a great way for elderly loved ones to socialize in an environment where they’re taken care of.
Once you’ve noticed your loved one is less social than they used to be, give their doctors a call. Check to see if they’ve missed any appointments lately. It’s one thing to let friendships fall to the wayside, but to ignore their own health is another.
Memory loss and confusion
Some elderly care issues for caregivers derive from the fact that despite forgetfulness and confusion your loved one still considers themselves sharp as a tack. It’s hard to gauge our own health and memory problems, so you have to do it for them. Does your loved one forget to do common day-to-day tasks they once did like clockwork? Do they forget their words for long moments at a time? Do they get confused and/or agitated in social situations or in general?
Care for elderly focus on strengthening cognitive function like memory. An alternative care center will work with your loved one every day and hopefully help restore some of their vitality.
Bills go unpaid or credit starts to suffer
Have you checked the mail for your loved one lately? Do they have late notifications or bounced checks coming back? How about paying bills more than once? Money is one of the elderly care issues many caregivers see early on. Their loved ones stop having the mind for budgets they once had.
The good news about money here is an adult day program for seniors is one of the inexpensive elderly care costs.
Does Your Loved One Need Care for Elderly?
If you’ve noticed the above signs in your loved one, it’s time to start considering care for elderly. Contact Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers to find out about our affordable elderly care services.
