The majority of seniors find it challenging to confess that they require assistance in managing their daily lives. It’s natural for your aging parent or vulnerable loved one to refuse assisted living if you feel they need it.
On the other hand, assisted living is frequently the greatest option for keeping an elderly or fragile person safe. In other circumstances, assisted living is practically required.
We’ll go through the indicators you should look for, which signal that it’s time to start thinking about assisted living.
1. Recent Accidents
Always keep an eye out for an increase in the number of accidents or “near-misses.” This might involve your loved one being hurt in a tumble, forgetting to turn off the oven, or experiencing a medical scare.
More recurrent accidents or near-misses are clear signs that it’s time to consider assisted living.
Of course, accidents may happen to anybody at any age, but if they appear to be happening more frequently or are unique in form, it may be time to act to safeguard your loved one’s health and safety.
2. Slow Recoveries
You all know that as we become older, it takes longer to recover from accidents and diseases, and it’s difficult to heal rapidly when multiple portions of the body are aging at the same time.
If your susceptible loved one takes a long time to recover from illnesses, whether it’s a wounded knee or the flu, you should consider it a red flag. Slow recuperation is a clear sign that it’s time to think about assisted living.
The human capacity to recover from a physical injury or sickness decreases as you become older.
If you’re in your thirties, forties, or fifties, you’re probably aware of this truth. You don’t have the same capacity to bounce back as when you were twenty years old.
3. Chronic Health Conditions
If a chronic health condition appears to be worsening, it may be time to consider supported care for the patient. The list below provides the most frequent chronic illnesses that are known to deteriorate with time:
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Asthma and other lung conditions
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
In the United States, chronic health issues are frequent among the elderly. Nearly 80% of persons over the age of 65, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), have at least one chronic illness or medical condition.
4. Challenges With Managing Daily Living Activities
Pay attention to how your aged or fragile loved one does activities of daily living (called ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (known as IADLs).
ADLs are tasks that everyone engages in daily. These are the most fundamental aspects of self-care, such as eating, dressing, bathing, and going to the restroom.
If your loved one has trouble with ADLs, it’s time to start looking at assisted living facilities.
IADLs are second-level tasks that are required for genuine self-sufficiency. If your loved one cannot complete these chores efficiently, it may be time to consider assisted living.
5. Abrupt Weight Loss
You should speak with your senior relative or fragile loved one right away if they have dropped a significant amount of weight. Of course, losing weight isn’t always harmful.
In many situations, reducing weight is just a matter of following the doctor’s instructions. It can, however, be a strong indicator that assistance is required.
You should strive to obtain answers to the following three questions when determining whether or not your loved ones personal weight loss is a problem:
- Is there a link between weight reduction and a medical condition?
- Is your loved one gaining weight?
- Did your loved one inadvertently lose weight?
If you answered “yes” to any of these three questions, you have a problem. You must keep an eye on the situation and ensure that your loved one receives the attention and assistance required to live a healthy lifestyle.
6. They Seem Frailer
Is your loved one becoming frailer by the day? Assessing whether or not a person is fragile might be challenging in some instances. If it turns out this way, it may be time to assist them in looking into assisted living choices.
Frail is an abbreviation used by medical practitioners to understand the problem better. F.R.A.I.L. stands for:
- Fatigue: If a person becomes exhausted from physical activity rapidly, they may be feeble. When exhaustion becomes unbearable, it’s time to take action.
- Resistance is another crucial factor to consider. You should directly ask your loved one to take your hand. A shaky grasp is a clear signal that a person is in poor physical condition.
- Ambulation: The capacity to move (by walking) without difficulty is referred to as ambulation. Walking with difficulty indicates weakness.
- Illness: A sickly individual is particularly prone to being ill.
Does your older relative appear frailer these days? Are they weak in general? Is it becoming more difficult for them to stand up or move around? If this is the case, it may be time to look at all of their assisted living possibilities.
7. Abrupt Weight Gain
Weight gain might sometimes be an indication that your loved one requires assistance. If your loved one shows evidence of the added weight, you should chat with them about it, just as you would if they were losing weight.
Weight gain is frequently the result of a bad diet or a lack of a healthy lifestyle. Your loved one may require assistance with food preparation. Furthermore, weight gain might be caused by an underlying medical issue.
It can be discouraging to get on the scale and discover that you have gained a few pounds. Some extra pounds is usually not a reason for concern for healthy persons and non-senior citizens.
However, considerable weight gain in susceptible persons often suggests a severe underlying condition.
Obesity is linked to worse medical outcomes in elderly individuals, including some published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
8. Strange Body Odor
If your loved one has developed an unusual or unpleasant body odor, it is always a warning that something is wrong.
With very few exceptions, an unusual bodily odor suggests inadequate hygiene or a significant underlying medical problem. Discussing hygiene concerns may be humiliating. These discussions always need to be used with the utmost discretion; nonetheless, it is something that you must handle to safeguard your loved one’s health and well-being.
9. Changes In Appearance
You should be aware of any overall changes in a person’s appearance. While a difference in look isn’t always a terrible thing, it needs to be addressed. This is especially true if an aging relative or a fragile loved one appears to be deteriorating.
You should pay attention to how they take care of themselves in addition to factors like weight reduction. If they are becoming more disheveled than usual, this might suggest a concern. The faster the look changes, the higher the probability of a severe problem.
As people become older, they may require assistance with specific day-to-day duties. In the majority of situations, this occurs gradually over time.
An older parent or loved one may require assistance with the most physically demanding duties, such as mowing the lawn or shoveling snow, but they may need more aid as time passes. This is quite reasonable. Unfortunately, many people find that asking for help is quite tricky. It is difficult to give up self-reliance and shift into a new stage of life. Nonetheless, there may come a time when assisted living is the only alternative.
10. Lack Of Active Friendships
Active friendships are a vital element of living a healthy lifestyle. In their later years of life, people may find it increasingly challenging to sustain active friendships for various reasons.
Loneliness in old age is prevalent and linked to unfavorable health outcomes, according to a study published in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. Of course, everyone’s social preferences are different.
There’s nothing wrong with someone enjoying their personal time. However, you should watch out for changes in your elder relative’s friendships. The decline of active friendships is a serious issue that must be addressed.
Get Assisted Living for Your Elderly Parent
If you feel that your parents are displaying any of the warning symptoms listed above, go ahead and talk to them concerning their changing skills and care requirements.
It’s ideal to talk about the future with elderly parents as soon as possible so that you both agree and no surprises arise.
Graciously introduce the issue, allow them to identify the underlying problem(s), and assist them in developing solutions.
Feel free to contact us if you or your parents have any questions.