Who Needs In-Home Care and When?
My mother, Delois, recently passed away. She was 97 years old and lived very independently for all of those years. She had a remarkable spirit, was active, and lived on her own until suffering a stroke which ended her life two weeks later.
For mom, there was never a time for which my sister and I had to consider in-home care. For many families, though, home care in inevitable – it’s a matter of when and not if.
In providing care for seniors in Bryan/College Station since 2001, those of us at Home Instead have seen a tremendous variety of conditions that made families consider the use of a home care agency. Some conditions required immediate care and for others, there was an opportunity to plan ahead, take time to research available options, then make an informed decision.
Here are 5 conditions that frequently people to enjoin the services of Home Instead in Bryan/College Station:
- The Onset of Dementia – Nobody can see the changes in aging seniors quite the way that their adult children can. When mom or dad begin to show evidence of memory loss that impacts their daily lives, it might be time to gather other family members and make some decisions about mom or dad’s future. Here are some things to look for:
- A general lack of confidence in doing things they’ve always done
- Increasing confusion
- Personality or behavior changes
- Withdrawal from social settings
- Isolation and depression
- Balance issues or falls – Serious falls can spell disaster for many seniors. Even seniors with moderately good ambulation skills can still trip over pets, rugs, or items left on the floor of their homes. Falls resulting in serious health implications can signal the beginning of the end for many people.
- Respite Care – Often, as adult children of aging parents, we provide the care they need. With the many demands of raising our own families, the burden can be overwhelming. Home Instead staff frequently find that people just need a break – from the hands-on tasks such as bathing assistance to the time-consuming effort of getting mom or dad to a doctor’s appointment. If you desperately need a break, Home Instead can help.
- Personal care needs – With so many seniors unable to provide self-help with bathing or incontinence care, adult children are often called upon to do things that, while necessary, they’d really prefer to avoid. Let’s be realistic – bathing an aging parent, or changing their brief, isn’t a task we look forward to and neither do our parents. There are times we just want to be a daughter or son again and not a care provider.
- Companionship – It’s been my experience that seniors are very happy to see visitors arrive, and not-so-happy to see them leave. Feelings of loneliness and isolation can weigh heavily on seniors who live alone or who may live in a senior community but lack regular companionship and conversations with others. Regular interactions with other people are vital to good mental health and Home Instead CAREGivers understand why we preach Relationship Above Task!
Is there an aging adult in your family that Home Instead of Bryan/College Station, TX can help?
Call us today at (979) 268-6880 and we can discuss what level of care would be suitable for the aging adult in your life.
