Sometimes it can be hard for an adult child to determine when an elderly parent needs help. After all, you’re used to seeing them as the person who takes care of things – who takes care of you. As a result, you may not notice some of the signs that indicate they need some assistance at home, or you might rationalize the signs as meaning something else. This can lead to missing the signs that your parent needs elderly care. Below are some of the things to look for that indicate why your aging parent might benefit from elderly care.
There is Spoiled Food in the Fridge
Elderly Care Brookhaven NY – Why Your Parent Needs Elderly Care
Everyone has some spoiled food in the fridge now and then. A leftover container of casserole gets pushed to the back of the fridge and you discover it weeks later. That’s normal. However, if there doesn’t seem to be much in the refrigerator besides spoiled food, it could be an indicator of cognitive impairment or an inability to prepare healthy meals for themselves.
Elderly care is an excellent way to ensure your parent has easy access to balanced, nutritious meals every day. They can come to the house on a daily basis to cook fresh meals or once per week to cook meals that can be frozen and reheated.
Your Parent Has Fallen
If your parent has fallen, there’s a good chance it will happen again. Falls can be extremely dangerous for older adults. They can result in broken bones, cuts, head injuries, or even death. Falling doesn’t mean your parent isn’t safe living alone anymore, but it does indicate a need for some changes or help.
An elderly care provider can take steps to prevent your parent from falling again. They can remove clutter that gets into walkways, posing a trip hazard. An elderly care provider can also help your parent get up and down from chairs and walk safely around the house, through parking lots, and around the neighborhood.
Your Parent is Forgetting to Take Medications
Many older adults take multiple medications to manage conditions. Forgetting to take them makes it harder to keep health problems under control. A diabetic who misses a dose of insulin may experience a dangerous spike in blood sugar. Or, a person whose blood pressure is poorly controlled because of missed doses might suffer a stroke.
Although elderly care providers cannot give your parent their medications, they can help to ensure doses are not missed. They can remind them when it’s time to take medicine and watch to make certain they take the right ones in the right doses.