5 Signs Your Loved One Requires Homecare
When it comes to living alone, seniors aren't always honest about their difficulties. Your elderly relative may not want to bother you with his or her health problems, or he or she may be afraid of being forced to leave their house. Keep an eye out for these 5 signals that your relative requires assistance, so you can discuss the possibility of hiring an in-home caregiver to assist them.
Difficulty in Maintaining Personal Hygiene
Have you noticed a decline in the appearance of your loved one? Have they been skipping baths or abandoning oral hygiene?
Personal hygiene is core for our physical health and because our immune systems aren't as strong as they once were as we age, bacteria and viruses are more dangerous than ever. Monitoring your elderly relative’s personal hygiene can be an early indicator of other issues with their ability to care for themselves.
Cluttered Home
Are there dirty dishes piling up? Mould in the bathroom? Overflowing bins? Clutter covering the floor?
Cleaning might be difficult for seniors who have moderate to serious physical impairments. Typically, issues arise as a result of specific cleaning tasks. Many seniors will struggle with tasks that require an uncomfortable position, hard lifting, or considerable joint stress. Some seniors frequently neglect these responsibilities, resulting in an unsanitary environment. Other seniors who continue to do these tasks risk putting themselves in even more harm. While housework can be a terrific form of exercise for the elderly, overexertion puts them at a considerably higher risk of injury.
Mobility Issues
Have you noticed them more unsteady on their feet? Struggling to get in and out of their chair? Unexplained bruising?
As people get older, their chance of falling increases, and while a fall could be an accident, it could also indicate that they are having difficulties moving properly. Mobility issues can sometimes have a negative impact on confidence and overall self-esteem. When you are not present, your relative may be afraid of falling, which may prohibit them from doing anything active. If that's the case, it might be a good time to start looking into a professional caregiver to help them be more independent in their own home.
Medication Management
In Ireland, older people use four times more medicines than other age groups. Inappropriate prescribing is a major challenge to overcome in the care of nursing home residents but can also be a major challenge for the elderly who live on their own as they can have difficulty keeping track of their medications. Although caregivers are unable to administer medication, they will be able to prompt the medication and ensure that the correct dosage is taken at the right time each day. Our caregivers can also assist with picking up prescriptions from the pharmacy.
Mood Changes
Is your relative quieter these days? Has there been a decline in their activities/hobbies? Do they seem sadder?
Our personalities change according to our circumstances. This is especially true for seniors, who face their own mortality, mourn the loss of their independence, and deal with the frustration of not being able to do things that were once simple. Social isolation can lead to loneliness in some people, while others can feel lonely without being socially isolated.
“Research into this area has shown that strong social ties may protect people from emotional distress, cognitive decline, and physical disability, while loneliness and social isolation can cause harm to physical and psychological wellbeing. Both loneliness and social isolation have been strongly associated with poorer quality of life and other measures of well-being” - Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and ALONE.
Disclaimer: This website does not provide medical advice
The information, including but not limited to text, graphics, images and other material on this website, is for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.