With the inevitable passage of time, ageing makes its presence felt in all our lives. The process may be gradual or quick, depending on the case, but it’s one thing we can’t run away from. When it comes to your loved ones, you may eventually ask yourself how do I know if my loved one needs home care? After all, statistics and research show that most people would prefer to age with dignity in the comfort of their own homes. So, how do you know when your senior loved one needs care at home? Here are some of the most common signs.
Difficulties with daily activities
One of the first signs of the need for care for elderly at home is the inability to perform activities that are considered standard, regular and “normal”. These include changes in bathing and grooming habits, the inability to get dressed on their own, challenges with toileting and continence, changes in eating habits such as loss of appetite or inability or unwillingness to cook for themselves, walking and even struggling to move from one part of the home to another and others.
Changes in appearance and physical capacity
A second sign that your senior loved one needs home care relates to changes in appearance and physical capacity. Some of the telltale signs include visible weight loss changes. This can be the result of an inability or unwillingness to cook or even shop for food. Difficulties in dressing themselves is another sign to look out for as it can present itself in the wearing of soiled, unchanged clothes. Poor personal hygiene is another factor that’s easy to pick up on due to body odour and poor oral hygiene. In addition, bruises or wounds could be the result of falls and injuries whereas burn marks could mean that your loved one is struggling with cooking for themselves. These are just some of the reasons to choose home care for the elderly in their own home in the UK.
Differences in cognitive ability and behavior
A further factor that means you might need to consider home care help for elderly relates to changes in cognitive ability and overall behavior. Such behavior can manifest itself as a lack of drive or even motivation. There can also be a loss of interest in activities and hobbies that your loved one previously found enjoyable. Other factors may include trouble in keeping track of time, struggling to keep in touch with friends and family on a regular basis, regular mood swings or erratic changes in their mood, a heightened sense of irritability and agitation etc. They may even resort to being verbally abusive and there can be significant changes in their regular sleeping patterns.
Neglect of household work and responsibilities
Activities of daily living are something we all cope with in some way or another, but what may seem like mundane household chores may become difficult and overwhelming for your loved ones. These difficulties can present themselves in their inability to complete daily tasks on their own resulting in changes to household cleanliness as well as the build up of clutter. Other signs include unopened mail, failure to make regular payments on time resulting in unpaid bills, having utilities switched off, not disposing of spoiled food, stains on carpets and furniture, the odor of urine in the house (as a possible sign of incontinence), the inability or failure to maintain outdoor areas including not handling rubbish collection on time, signs of unsafe driving and another important sign here relates to prescriptions which have been unfulfilled.
Forgetfulness and impaired judgment
Elderly home care services can and should also be considered when your loved one’s judgment starts failing them. This is often apparent when they forget their medication, take incorrect dosages, miss doctor’s appointments etc. More frequent confusion than usual could be another important sign to watch out for. In addition to this, your loved one may begin losing their reasoning skills, falling prey to scams and sales pitches. Other signs of this category of impaired functioning include easily and frequently getting lost when driving or walking, troubles in completing full sentences and having conversations and an impaired ability to remember names of people close to them as well as of familiar objects.
Conclusion
If you find yourself in a position where your loved one is experiencing some or all of the abovementioned signs of ageing, perhaps it’s time to consider elderly home care. There are numerous benefits to this and some of these include more familiarity with their home environment as they’ll remain in their home while they are provided with the care, they will not be required to move to an entirely different place with unfamiliar surroundings, the care provided by elderly home care services is professional and tailor-made to suit your loved one’s needs while providing them with all the comforts they are used to.
