Visiting a Senior For the Holidays – Advice for Caregivers

Posted by: matthew

For most Americans the Holidays are often spent in the comfort and company of family and friends. Many Americans will travel to see their aging loved ones, unfortunately they may find that mom and dad aren’t doing as well as they were last year.

It is understandable how stressful visiting your aging family member can be when their health is not at its best or they are not taking care of themselves. However, this can also be an opportunity to get an understanding of what issues your loved one may be having and plan an appropriate course of action.

The first thing your need to do is look for the warning signs that there may be a problem. You may notice that your loved one is wearing dirty clothes and their personal hygiene may be suffering. The smell of urine throughout the house, on the furniture or in the bedroom would be suggestive of an incontinence problem. Aside from being an unpleasant smell this can lead to more serious issues, such as a Urinary Tract Infection.

Other environmental signs that your senior may be having problems include: unused or old rotting food in the fridge, mail stacking up and bills going unpaid.

Your loved one may also show signs of physical health problems. If they seem to becoming frail or thin there maybe an issue with nutrition. Swollen joints, bumps and bruises can suggest they have been falling.

A noticeable disconnection from social outlets such as, not going to church, failing to attend community groups, not calling friends and family, or complaints of loneliness and depression are all indicators that your loved one maybe failing to thrive independently.

Once you have established there is indeed a problem with you senior loved one you need to take note of all the issues. Determine exactly what the problems are and what solutions are available. These solutions can include finding nearby friends and family to provide assistance and check up on them, having a senior in home care agency provide a caregiver or personal care assistant, or it may be time to consider facility based care.

If your loved one is concerned about losing their independence as a result of having in home care explain to them that in Home Care is a means to regaining independence and staying in their home.

This information was gathered with the help of our network of Certified Senior Home Care Agencies and Assisted Living Facility partners. Remember you can always call us for advice and help anytime at 1-866-273-2995.