10 Signs that Your Aging Parent Needs Help at Home

Do you know if your elderly parent needs help at home? They might be in danger and yet not aware of it. You need to know this before anything bad happens.

The problem is that the elderly tend to be independent, to prefer their own familiar surroundings, and are reluctant to admit that it’s really time to get help.

Here are ten signs that your aging parent needs help at home.

1. Changes in Behavior or Mood

You may realize over the course of weeks or months that mom or dad doesn’t seem to be themselves any more. They might seem irritable or not motivated to do anything. This may be depression - the most prevalent mental health problem among older adults.

2. An Unexpected Fall

Most falls in the elderly are unexpected. If you see bruises, wounds or other marks on their body it could be a sign that they have fallen. When was the last time they had a checkup with their doctor?

3. Forgetting to take medications

Forgetting or losing track of medications taken are another sign that your senior is losing mental control of their actions.

Is someone making sure they get their meds every day?

4. Incontinence

Bathroom accidents are unfortunate, but loss of control in this area (beyond adult diapers) obviously makes for an unhealthy living situation.

Medication can sometimes help, but beyond that, they may need someone to take them to the bathroom.

5. Disorientation with daily tasks

Confusion in an elderly person could be a symptom of delirium or dementia, but it may also occur in major depression and psychoses. It could also be a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.

6. Difficulty in dressing and bathing

When these tasks are hard to do, a person can look sloppily dressed or smell bad because they find showering or bathing too difficult.

Have you thought about having a caregiver help them?

7. Poor financial behavior

Finances are one area that a senior can begin to overlook. Look for stacks of unopened bills, overdue notices, confusion over paying for merchandise, or bank balances that are not in order.

It’s better to nip this problem in the bud.

8. Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. As people get older, changes occur throughout the body, including the brain. Some people may notice that it takes longer to learn new things, that they don't remember information as well as they did, or they lose things like their glasses on a regular basis.

9. Disorder in the house

Do you find stacks of things everywhere in your loved one’s house? Or just everything seems to be in the wrong place?

One form of disorder in a home is hoarding, which appears in 6% of people over 55. Hoarding can cause physical danger by increasing the risk of falls in a home crowded with stuff.

10. Poor driving habits

The obvious danger here is physical danger to the senior as well as others. Look for unexplained dents or scratches in the car. They may have also delayed responses to situations, or become easily distracted.

When was the last time they had their eyes checked?

Troublesome Symptoms

If your parent is experiencing two or three of these signs on a consistent basis, you might want to look in to finding some way to enable them to live safer.

Keep in mind that some of these danger signs can also be explained by illness, medication change, or other factors, and may be only temporary.

Home care is one answer to ensure your senior is carrying out their activities of daily living well. A caregiver can come to the house for several hours a day, or round-the clock.

Home Care Can Help

If your loved one is experiencing the above symptoms and needs help dressing, toileting, bathing, or moving around, contact one of the home care agencies recommended by HelpMySeniorNow.com. Our clients’ caregivers understand each person's needs and will handle these tasks professionally to preserve your loved one's dignity. Contact us so that we can direct you to the proper agency.

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