It can be hard to think of your parents needing care when they have been the ones looking after you all of your life, but getting older often means that people begin to struggle to do some of the things that they used to. Whether it’s finding that carrying out certain tasks like doing the dishes or laundry is painful or problems with memory are starting to make them feel confused and frustrated, there are many reasons why senior citizens might need additional care. If you are worried about your senior parent, below are some signs that they might need more assistance managing their daily lives.
If They’re Struggling with Basic Daily Tasks
Grooming, meal preparation, and household chores are all part of maintaining yourself and your home for hygiene purposes and to make yourself more comfortable. Even for younger people, these jobs can be tiring sometimes, but for senior citizens, it can pose more of a challenge in some circumstances. Conditions such as arthritis or limited mobility can make these daily tasks harder to manage, and even dementia or Alzheimer’s can interfere. If your senior parent has been complaining that they are struggling, or you can see signs of this when you visit them, they might need more support. Even hiring a domestic cleaning service could help, but professional home care for seniors can help with things like grooming and meal preparation.
Dementia or Alzheimer’s
Dementia and Alzheimer’s are conditions that affect a person’s memory and cognitive functions, and this can be distressing for your loved ones as well as yourself. In some cases, these conditions can progress slowly, whereas others might be more rapid, but either way, more support will be needed at some point. This will help to keep the individual safe, as sometimes they might get lost when they are confused by their surroundings, forget that they have left the stove on, or even get upset when they don’t recognize someone. It is very important to get your senior parent care if they do have dementia or Alzheimer’s. You can find out more about these conditions here.
Needing Help with Medication Management
Another reason why you might want to consider care for your senior parent is if they have a health condition and haven’t been managing their medication properly. They must take their meds how the doctor instructed and get their prescriptions on time. Sometimes they may forget to take their medication, but other times they might choose not to if they don’t want to for whatever reason. They might even accidentally take too much if they get confused about when they have taken their meds, which can be very dangerous. If you are worried about your senior parent not taking their medication properly, consider looking at care options to give you peace of mind.
It isn’t always easy to decide to get care for your senior parent, but if you are noticing any of the above, it’s certainly worth a conversation. There are many different types of care you can explore as well, so finding a solution that everyone is comfortable with will hopefully not be too much of a challenge.
