Recognising that a loved one may be struggling and in need of some additional care can be difficult for both you and them.
People who struggle will unlikely ask for help themselves, this is therefore important for others to notice these signs and help them to get the support they need sooner rather than later.
Below highlights some of the most common signs that you will begin to notice and can look out for.
1. Decline in Personal Hygiene
This can be due to many reasons such as Forgetfulness/dementia, reduced mobility, from an injury, old age or certain conditions that affect this such as arthritis. These examples are just a few reasons as to how it can make it harder for people to keep on top of their personal care needs, and often begin to become a lower priority for them. Some older adults may also not be bathing/showering due to having a fear of falling. Older people are also commonly known to be undiagnosed with urinary tract infections. This can often present with confusion for the individual, and usually has odour of urine from incontinence issues.
Have you, a friend or another family member noticed that a loved one’s personal hygiene is reducing? Have you noticed they have not been washing their clothes, themselves and their hair? If so, This could be a sign that they need some additional support. Try and discuss this with them sensitively to avoid them embarrassment, but at the same time this should not be ignored as this can affect their well-being. By having this conversation and getting them a little more support can improve their quality of life.
2. Reduced Mobility
Reduced mobility is another big sign that someone may require more support, if you notice that your loved ones mobility levels have changed, this could be an indication that extra support would be beneficial. You can determine this by watching them complete day to day tasks such as mobilising from their chair and mobilising around their home. Do they seem more unsteady on their feet? are they having more frequent falls? are they struggling to do their own shopping requiring more support with this? if so this could be the time to seek additional support and lighten the burden for them, which will allow them to focus on other things throughout the day.
3. Forgetting to take their medication
Another sign of needing more help is when you notice that your family member is forgetting to take their medication. This can be extremely worrying, especially if they have a chronic illness. This can impact on them both physically and mentally and therefore needs to be taken care of as soon as this is noticed.
Some people will therefore benefit from additional visits from a carer to ensure they are taking this as prescribed to enable the full benefits as advised by their GP. This will ensure your loved one is receiving the care they need but also give yourself piece of mind that they are being cared for and their health care needs are being met.
4. Unexplained weight loss/ lack of healthy food in their fridge/cupboards.
When visiting a loved one, you may notice out of date or gone off food in the fridge / cupboards, this could be a sign of them not meeting their dietary requirements. This could again be for various reasons such as forgetfulness, lack of motivation, depressive symptoms, mobility issues or increased difficulty of being able to care for themselves on a daily basis, and therefore needs to be investigated further to avoid and additional or unnecessary related health problems.
5. Changes in the home environment.
You may start to notice that your loved ones home environment is not being kept as clean and tidy as it used to. This may be because these tasks are becoming more difficult for them to manage, due to the physical demands these have, reduced memory issues or a condition they are suffering from. This can then cause other issues such as trip hazards and other health related problems and therefore needs to be addressed. This would be another reason they would benefit from having someone call in regularly to help keep on top of things at home.
The Importance of discussing these concerns with your loved one
Talking to your family member regarding your concerns is vital, to ensure they get the care and support they need to live a happy and fulfilled life. They may have noticed that they are struggling themselves, but are worried to ask for help, and may actually be pleased when you talk to them about your concerns.
However, some people are in denial in these circumstances and they don't like to feel they are losing their independence and see this as a negative, but in actual fact, by getting them additional support can increase their independence, help to keep them in their home for longer and can avoid hospital admissions and the need for more permanent care facilities. It is very important to tread carefully when broaching this subject, you should therefore explain that you are considering care with their best interests at heart, explain that this will help them be more independent in the longer term and more importantly, they will be involved in all the decisions made and not be forced to do anything they do not wish to do. From experience we have found that on most occasions in these circumstances, individuals have been relieved that these discussions have been had, and once additional care is in place they enjoy the time they spend with us.
How Moorbank Health & Well-being Services Can Help you and your loved one
We realise that everyone is different and need different levels of support and care.
Our support packages will be unique to yourself/ loved one; we work collaboratively with all involved to ensure all goals and needs are met. We have excellent expertise and knowledge within the healthcare sector and can provide individualised packages, tailored to your personal goals and needs.
We can offer care packages that fit around you and your loved ones lifestyle. If you have experienced this with someone close to you, feel free to contact us and we can discuss your concerns further and may be able to provide you with the additional support your loved one needs.
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