When a beloved family member is starting to show signs that may not be able to live independently in their own home without regular help and/or medical care, you are bound to feel a plethora of conflicting, troubling, daunting, and stressful emotions and feelings.
Here are eight signs that your loved one should perhaps consider moving to an assisted living facility.
1. Signs of Behavioral Changes
Obviously and quite naturally, as a person gets older, it is entirely normal for their personality to change and to become perhaps a little bit more cantankerous and particular. However, if your loved one begins to show particularly noticeable signs of severe changes in personality, this may well be a sign that they perhaps require some additional medical care.
Similarly, if activities that they previously loved and took a lot of enjoyment from now seem disinteresting to them, monitor this to see if it changes and assess how they react to suggestions of similar activities.
2. Signs of an Untidy and Disorganized Home
If your loved one used to be particularly house proud, or even if their home used to be fairly clean and tidy with everything in its place, a sign they are no longer wholly capable of maintaining and completing their daily household tasks and chores is if their home is suddenly becomingly increasingly untidy and disorganized.
Additionally, if your loved one’s personal hygiene isn’t what it used to be, or if every time you pay a visit, they appear to be wearing the same set of clothes which appear increasingly mucky, it may be time to sit them down and have a conversation about how they are managing on their own. They might be too scared to bring it up to you, so taking the first step yourself could be the key.
3. Signs of Disorientation
One of the worst phone calls you can have concerning the safety and wellbeing of an aging loved one is if they have appeared to ‘wander’ off from their home, often in the middle of the night and often in their nightclothes or, worse still, wearing nothing at all.
This is one of the more serious and dangerous signs of the beginnings of a rehabilitating memory-based illness such as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. If your loved one has wandered, disorientated and confused even once, it is strongly advised to contact their medical doctor and request a full mind and body checkup.
4. Signs of Forgotten or Missed Medication
Again, if your close friend or family member used to be one of those annoyingly perfectly organized people who regularly put you to shame with how thorough they were, any signs of forgotten or entirely missed medication could be a sign of something more serious.
This is a more serious sign that your loved one needs help, and again it is crucial that you contact their medical doctor at your earliest available opportunity.
5. Signs of Social Isolation
If you start to notice that your friend or family member has started declining party and gathering invitations or canceling social arrangements that they previously expressed excitement towards, this could be a sign that they are becoming increasingly isolated and lonely. It could also mean that they require some additional care.
Senior Living in Fort Lauderdale affords each and every resident the opportunity to form strong connections and friendships with like-minded people and to enjoy days out together with their new companions. Assisted living facilities focus heavily on their social and activity calendar. They know and understand how much such factors are key in their residents maintaining a healthy and high level of quality of life.
6. Signs of Changes in Eating Habits
When your loved one starts to refuse meals or even tasty snacks and naughty treats that they once thoroughly enjoyed, this is one of the most important warning signs that you must never ignore. Obviously, regardless of age and health, everyone now and again has a day where they either don’t fancy eating much or, in the case of so many, binge eat junk food, chocolate, and cakes.
However, if for even over a matter of a couple of days your loved one still seems entirely disinterested in eating and meal planning, then the best thing to do is contact their medical practitioner as quickly as possible.
The risk of losing appetite in older adults can be caused by a plethora of different things, but a prolonged disinterest in nourishment may lead to a loss of vital muscle mass and subsequently a higher risk of infection and even mental illnesses such as depression.
7. Signs of Bruises and Accidents
Once again, it is perfectly, understandably common for adults and children of any age to suffer a fall on the stairs or injure themselves in the home, and if this is merely a one-off incident, there is probably no need for over-concern.
However, if you notice brand new and fresh bruising on the arms and legs of your family member, or if they tell you how they tripped and fell in and around their home, this may be a sign of brittle bone disease or even, more seriously, Parkinson’s disease. Alternatively, it could just mean that they are naturally becoming less steady on their feet, and, therefore, perhaps they may feel safer and happier moving to an assisted living facility.
8. Signs of Financial Trouble
As you will be all too aware, running a household with all the copious bills, utility costs, and home maintenance it involves is tough, especially when you live on your own. Unless your aging loved one is particularly capable and on top of their finances, it may be a good idea to start discussing how they are coping with such duties, whether or not you notice a red-letter bill stuffed behind the dresser or not.
Financial trouble, missed bills, or debts that seem to be building up is another serious sign that your aging loved one may benefit from moving to a safe, secure, comfortable and ultimately enjoyable assisted living facility.
