Blog Post

9 Signs You Need a Senior Care Provider for Your Long Island Parents

  • By Long Island Family and Elder Care
  • 06 Jan, 2018

You love your parents and wish nothing but the best for them. But you know sooner or later you’ll see signs that indicate they need to be placed in senior care. 

Long Island Senior Care Aide Consultant Company

Recognizing these signs mentioned below may bring sadness because it’s then that you know your parents are getting older. But don’t try and turn back the clock. It’s in their best interest to be placed in senior care.

1.   Chronic Conditions

Elderly diagnosed with chronic conditions need to be placed in senior care facilities. The staff in these facilities have the skills and knowledge to accurately look after the elderly 24/7. They ensure each chronic condition is treated as needed for best future results.

                           

You can't be certain your parents are taking their medication if they’re home and unsupervised. The chronic conditions can deteriorate quickly if not maintained.

 

Place your parents in senior care if they have any of these conditions:

-      High blood pressure

-      Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

-      Heart disease

-      Depression

-      Arthritis

-      Osteoporosis

-      Diabetes

-      COPD and allied conditions

-      Cancer

-      Stroke

 

2.    Difficulty in Moving Around the Home 

The signs that show your parents have difficulty in accessing all spaces of their home include:

-      Rooms or areas look unused

-      They make excuses not to go to certain areas

-      They maneuver awkwardly around the house

-      Garden or rooms are not maintained

                                                                                   

These signs tell you they’re not capable of moving around the home easily. They may fear injury or they’re simply becoming immobile. And you can’t force them to change because they may end up hurting themselves. That’s why you need elder care services.

 

Elderly care services have home health aides that can assist them in their mobility. This protects them from harm.

 

3.    Weight loss or Gain 

If your parents look thinner it can be because they aren’t preparing any meals. This is because they don’t have the will to cook anymore or feel too tired.

 

Nutrients and vitamins are important for the elderly to prevent them from getting ill. If they’re skipping meals they aren’t receiving the necessary nutritional value.

 

If you want your parents to still live in their home you can opt for home care services. These services will help your parents in tasks they can't do alone.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, weight gain can also be a sign your parents need assisted living. It can prove a slowly progressing, neglectful mentality toward their health.

 

Weight gain can also be an indicator of a chronic condition such as dementia. Your parents forget they’ve had their meal so they eat another. Too much food is as dangerous as too little.

4.    Parents Seem Frailer

If you notice your parents have bruises or they walk with limps they may be falling often. They can have perfect mental health but their bodies may be degenerating. Falls can result in severe head injuries.

                                                   

Assisted living services are practical options for parents who tend to fall. Staff members can act as support when they walk to prevent them from falling.

 

Any senior care helping your parents with their mobility is a safer option than them being at home unsupervised. And this makes it worth any expense.

5.    Their Driving 

Your parents’ driving should be checked from time to time to see if they’re not dangers to themselves or others. Assess the following the next time your parents drive or arrive at your home:

-      Does the car have dents?

-      Do they forget to put on their seatbelts?

-      Are they avoiding certain routes?

-      They can't converse during driving.

-      They get distracted easily.

-      They shows signs of dangerous driving.

                                                                                                                                           

Any one of these can be proof of dangerous driving and that is a threat to life. Place your parents in senior care to protect them and those around them.

6.    The Nature of Animals and Plants

Look for signs that pets aren’t well tended. These signs include:

-      Dogs that aren’t groomed

-      Litter boxes that aren’t cleaned

-      Dead fish

-      Over or under feeding animals

                                         

Plants—easy to maintain—that are dying or dead are signs of chronic neglect.

 

If your parents have nurturing natures signs of neglect show they’re unable to care for anything anymore. This mentality can worsen to the point they neglect to look after themselves.

 

7.    Change in Grooming Habits

Do you notice a sudden change in grooming habits? Examples include:

-      Not selecting a proper attire

-      Makeup is not applied properly

-      Hair isn’t properly brushed

                                                                               

Other serious signs include:

-      Not bathing often (evident by body odor)

-      Teeth or dentures aren’t brushed

-      Not using restrooms when needed

-      Clothes are dirty

 

These signs show your parents are neglectful of themselves and a care facility is a practical option that solves all these problems.

8.    Signs at Home

Signs at home are the biggest red flags. If you see too many of them it’s time you move your parents to a senior care facility immediately. The areas to look for are nearly endless, but use this as a guideline to gauge your parents’ condition:

-      Expired foods

-      A fridge and freezer full of ready made meals

-      Broken appliances that aren’t ever repaired

-      Signs of fires on pots and pans

-      Clutter

-      Careless housekeeping and cleaning

-      Broken windows

-      Dirty gutters or windows

                                                 

 These could be indicators of dementia. This is a chronic condition that requires supervision.

9.  Social Signs

An assisted living service facility is perfect if your parents love to be with friends or if they never want to leave home.

                                                 

It’s healthy for your parents to be social even in their old age. Ensure your parents have access to people so they can have a good time and not dwell on the fact they’re getting old.

 

Talk to professional consultants that can refer you to senior care Long Island NY providers. The referrals are an effective way of finding the best solution based on your parents’ needs.

Looking for these signs isn’t easy. It’s hard on you because you know the future transition can be overwhelming for everyone involved. But your parents’ living conditions can jeopardize their health and safety. Use that as motivation when it falls on your shoulders to decide that a different living arrangement is best for them.  

Contact us for a consultation: www.lifec.org/contact
By Long Island Family and Elder Care 06 Jan, 2018
Are you considering a senior home health care service for your parents? If you are we want to offer some insight. This article can give your greater knowledge on how this type of elderly care service is beneficial to both you and your parents
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