When do you know if your loved one needs a caregiver?
Below are some items you may want to monitor, as you visit your loved one.
-Mail is piling up, bills are not being paid, calls from collection agencies
-The yard or house is no longer being maintained
-Changes in personal hygiene or change in typical behavior (like smoking in the bed, when the person used to only smoke outside).
-Changes in typical habits of eating/diet and exhibiting weight loss (or noticing clothing is now loose)
-Forgetting to take medication
-Unexplained dents or scratches on car (from bumping into objects when driving)
-Loss of interest in normal interests or hobbies
-Missed doctor’s appointments, or routine events such as attending church
-Spoiled or expired food in the home
-Changes in mood, or signs of depression
-Trouble moving from a seated to a standing position
-Bruising (a sign of falls, or bumping into objects walking around the house)
-Objects throughout the house now being located in “odd” spots
-Significant change in health status, such as having a stroke
If you have concerns, see if it is possible to have your loved one evaluated by a physician. And start a conversation- it is okay to ask your family member or friend, how they think things are going? They may acknowledge change has occurred, and that they need help.
(Information from AARP, and A Place For Mom Blog)
