It is not uncommon for families and friends to live a great deal of distance from each other, including their elderly parents.
Whether you have relocated for work or your loved one has retired to an adult community, you likely do not get to spend as much time with your parent as you would like. A visit every few months and a daily phone call can show your loved one that you care, but you may be missing crucial signs that they need more in-home living assistance than you realize.
A small dent in their car, a refrigerator full of spoiled food, or a bruise from a fall they are too proud to admit could all be warning signs of underlying problems that you cannot see over the phone or via Zoom.
Face-to-face interaction tends to remove the veil that is masking independence. That is why most home health care providers are hired at or around the holidays. But in many cases, underlying issues don’t begin during the holidays. That’s just when most people become aware that their loved ones require support.
Staying On Top of Your Elderly Parent’s Care
Many people’s fine motor skills will decrease as they age. The changes can happen slowly or rapidly. This could make it hard for a senior to do everyday tasks that they have taken for granted, such as preparing food or dealing with fasteners on clothes.
Here are a few other variations you can’t see over the phone, but all of which could be signs that your loved one needs more care to live safely, comfortably, and happily at home:
- Changes in sleep — more or less
- Changes in eating — skipped meals and lost weight
- Changes in clothing — wrinkled, mismatched, backward, or misbuttoned shirts
- Changes in grooming and personal hygiene — unpleasant body odor, bad breath, strong smell of urine in the house or on the clothing
- A decline in household maintenance — dishes piling up, unopened envelopes, unpaid bills
- Trouble standing up from a seat
- Failing to take their medications at the correct time or forgetting to take their medications
- Dropped pills because they can be difficult for a senior to spot and pick up (and missing doses of prescribed medication can cause even minor health problems to worsen)
Hire Professional Caregivers to Help
Senior home care is an increasingly popular way to help your parents maintain their independence in their own home. The one-on-one caregiver will inevitably build a relationship with your loved one through the actions of going into their home to help with daily tasks — like assistance with hygiene, dressing or toileting, as well as meal preparation, light housekeeping, and grocery shopping.
If your loved one loves to cook but has trouble standing that long or carrying in groceries, a caregiver can help with that, too — driving to the grocery, carrying the bags in, and assisting in the kitchen.
The caregiver can be an additional part of your care team, so you can have peace of mind about your senior loved one’s health from afar.
Even if you live close to your elderly loved one, it may be that a professional caregiver can spot warning signs that an untrained eye might miss, mainly related to dementia. There are small signs that can indicate problems, like little memory lapses or difficulty with numbers.
Being proactive with your elderly loved one’s care now can help keep them safe and continue to live independently in their home. And in doing so, you will have more quality time and peace of mind during the holidays.
About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency providing high-caliber home care services to the elderly and adults with disabilities for over seventeen years. Countless families have benefited from our senior companion care, dementia and Alzheimer’s home care, live-in and 24–7 care, transitional aid, respite care services, and in-home care services for seniors in Watertown, Brookline, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Canton, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Norwood, Westwood, Upper Back Bay, Roslindale, and neighboring communities. The non-medical assistance provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton HHA and CNA-certified in-home caregivers can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life.
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton follows all CDC and Massachusetts safety guidelines and precautions. We will require all of our employees to be vaccinated or in the process of receiving vaccination by October 1, 2021 — except those with special religious or health reasons. Those who cannot be vaccinated will have regular testing and will follow rigorous safety protocols. We are committed to the health and safety of our clients and employees.
