If you’re an adult child, or perhaps the spouse, watching the aging of your loved one, you worry about their safety as they grow more frail from aging or illness. The question you may think about is, when is it time to have a home care company provide senior care services?
Ideally, an elderly person continues to live at home as long as he or she can safely do so. Accommodations such as converting a bathtub to a walk-in shower, using a cane or walker, or having medications prepared in a daily pillbox can help make life easier. But sometimes there is a tipping point where additional care is needed, and the decision becomes “Do we need to consider assisted living or a nursing home, or can mom or dad even continue to live at home?”
There are three situations that indicate someone is no longer safe to live alone. First, if they can no longer bear weight to stand or transfer, such as from a bed to a commode or a wheelchair to the toilet, that is a vital activity of daily living that indicates an immediate need for care.
Second, if forgetfulness is so frequent that they are unsafe to live alone, that is another sign that help needs to be provided. Examples might include forgetting to take medication, even if it’s readily available, or forgetting to use a walker. Another tipping point is if the senior adult is no longer able to take care of their toileting needs, such as changing an adult brief or getting to the bathroom.
As the elderly have issues that affect their ability to perform the activities of daily living, it does not mean institutional care at a nursing home or assisted living facility is needed. Many seniors continue to live at home with some help from family members and from at-home care givers from FootPrints Home Care. Our trained and compassionate caregivers provide the assistance, as well as companionship, to help many seniors remain at home. If we can be of service to your family in the greater Albuquerque-Santa Fe region, give us a call for a home consultation.
