When Does An Aging Parent Need Senior Care Services In The Home?

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As a person age, inevitably there comes the need for assistance in daily living. Elder care can involve everything from companions – non-medical senior care services providers – all the way to a long-term care facility. Unless there’s an illness or an injury, elder care often begins with assistance in the home. But when is the right time to contract for this assistance?

Children who are caring for an aging parent usually can spot tell-tale signs that the parent could benefit from some level of senior care services. But this can be a tricky sell to a parent who has lived an independent life for years and isn’t ready to admit the need for elder care services.

The older person also may not be aware of difficulties they’re having in caring for themselves – the change has been gradual, and they’ve learned to compensate or overlook things. A child, however, should easily be able to see when the situation truly calls for elder care services. There are many clues to look for in the parent and in his or her surroundings that could signal that senior care services may be necessary.

Mobility issues
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... Elder care could be helpful if the parent is having worsening trouble with getting up, sitting down, bending over, lifting objects or performing routine cleaning tasks. Senior care services staff will help the individual continue to live an independent life in these areas.

Thinking and memory issues
If a parent is forgetting important things (paying bills, getting to appointments, etc.), staff from a senior care services agency can help the individual by making lists and making sure things are getting done.

Hygiene issues
Often an early sign of distractedness and possible memory loss is problems with personal hygiene. Elder care may be necessary for a person with these issues – at first maybe to just remind the older person to bathe, and later to perform the bathing. Senior care services providers who work in the home will assist with this and much more.

Mood issues
Although senior care services staff aren’t psychologists or therapists, they can be great listeners and gentle encouragers when an aging person is dealing with emotions that often come with growing older. Elder care staff is sometimes better at this than the individual’s children, because they’re not personally invested in the situation.

These are just a few of the signs children of older parents can watch for that may indicate a need for elder care in the home. Adult children work and have busy lives – they can’t stay with the parent all day and night. Senior care services providers can be that special addition that allows the older person as much independence as possible and takes some of the burden off the family.

Doug Thomas is a freelance writer for Visiting Angels, a senior care & elder care services provider. Interested in finding out more about Visiting Angels? Go to our website www.visitingangels.com today for more information.