Home Care for Changing Needs of Your Senior

Your elderly family member can be in a holding pattern for a long time and then suddenly find that she has greater needs than ever before in terms of her daily care. So, how can you recognize that, especially if she’s reluctant to tell you herself? How do home care providers help?

She’s Frustrated or Upset Often

Home Care Ridgewood NJ - Home Care for Changing Needs of Your Senior

Home Care Ridgewood NJ – Home Care for Changing Needs of Your Senior

Many aging adults are concerned about being a burden to their family members, which can cause them to hold in a lot of what they’re feeling and even what they want. But if your senior’s needs are changing, those feelings can boil over. It’s natural for her to feel frustrated or upset when she needs more help, and it’s easy for you to misunderstand those reactions from her.

Chronic Health Issues Are Worsening

Any health issues that your elderly family member already has may have been under control for a while, either because of medications or because of lifestyle changes she’s made. If those health issues are no longer under control, though, and are in fact worsening, she may need more help. Bringing in home care providers to assist with nutrition or to remind her about other things she needs to do can help.

Her Mobility Is Worsening

Mobility is incredibly important for your senior. It’s even more vital if her plans are to age in place for as long as she can. When her mobility changes, that means that she may not be able to meet the goals that she’s had without more assistance. The problem arises when she either doesn’t notice or doesn’t want to mention that her mobility is hindering her goals and her safety.

She’s Forgetting or Neglecting Important Things

Your senior’s home and personal care tasks are really important for her safety and for her overall well-being. But if she’s no longer able to keep up with those tasks or she’s forgetting about them altogether, her quality of life suffers. You might not mention what you’re seeing at first because you don’t want to upset her, but if you’re seeing these changes you do need to act sooner rather than later.

Recognizing the Need for Home Care

When your elderly family member’s needs do change, it’s going to be crucial that you and she have open and honest conversations about what she needs and about how to meet those needs. The entire burden doesn’t have to fall to you, though. Home care providers can be a key part of meeting your senior’s increased needs safely and at the level she most needs.

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Home Care Services in Ridgewood NJ, please contact the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC. In-home senior care servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.

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Pamela DelColle, RN, CCRN