01 Feb How do you Know When a Parent is No Longer Able to Safely Live at Home?
Most people want to age in place and remain in their home as long as possible. However, for some seniors their safety might be at risk if they don’t move. Usually after an adult child has made a visit to a parent’s home during the holidays we receive calls in our office about potential problems, issues, and even hazards at an elderly paren’t home. For example, a once tidy and clean home is now disheveled. Old food is in the refrigerator, The floor hasn’t been swept and food spills remain unwiped. Cords have become trip hazards. Mom, (who has always cared about her appearance) is starting to look unkempt. A once tidy and clean home is now looking disheveled. Dad is letting regular maintenance of the house go by the wayside. Things just don’t seem quite right.
At Senior Living Consultants, we have come up with several signs to help determine if it may be time for an elderly adult to move to some type of an assisted living facility. Although each situation is different, there are certain questions you should ask yourself regarding a parent’s ability to remain safely in the home.
Questions to ask about your parent:
- Over or under-medicating themselves?
- Confused about managing their own medications?
- Losing or gaining too much weight?
- Forgetting to eat or drink enough liquids (which comprises nutrition)?
- Unable to maintain a steady gait when walking?
- Becoming a high fall risk due to urinary tract infections, TIAs (mini-strokes), weight loss, side effects of medications or other medical conditions?
- Experienced a significant fall?
- Dealing with a serious medical condition that is progressing (i.e., Parkinson’s Disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes)?
- Paralyzed on one side of the body from a stroke?
- Showing early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease?
- Unable to dress or bathe themselves safely?
- Unable to transfer safely from the bed, toilet or chair?
- Depressed, bored or isolated due to the loss of a spouse, partner or friends?
- Not leaving the home and foregoing their normal social activities?
- Unable to keep up with the daily routine activities of life (shopping, cooking, paying bills, opening mail, doing laundry)?
- Unable to drive?
- Neglecting the normal maintenance of their home?
- Expressing frustration to you about their home and work required to keep it up?