When your senior parent is aging in place it’s easy to fall into a routine of providing care. But sometimes that routine can hide the signs that your senior parent may need more help than you are able to give them. It’s possible that for years your senior loved one has been happy and healthy at home with visits and care from you and your siblings, or a combination of family care and professional home care.
But if you look closely you may start to notice signs that your parent needs 24-hour home care in order to live comfortably and safely at home. There are a lot of benefits to 24-hour care and having a care provider there with your senior parent around the clock can give you a lot of peace of mind.
It can be hard to accept that your senior parent may be at a point where they need a level of support that you can’t provide on your own anymore. If you notice any of these signs in your senior parent it’s time to talk about 24-hour care:
You Get More Phone Calls At Night
Seniors frequently are lonely and anxious at night. If your senior loved one is calling you every night around bedtime, or if they seem like they don’t want to get off the phone at night it could be that they are anxious. Having 24-hour home care for your senior loved one would eliminate their night time stress and anxiety. They would have someone that they trust with them throughout the night so that they will be able to sleep soundly.
Your Senior Parent Is Falling Frequently
If you notice that your senior loved one is falling more often than they used it it’s a sign that someone needs to be there all the time. Anytime a senior falls it could result in a serious injury. If your senior loved one is falling frequently that raises the chances that they will sustain a bad injury from falling. With 24-hour home care there will be someone there all the time to help your senior loved one avoid falls. And someone to call emergency medical services if they do fall and need medical care.
Your Senior Loved One Is Having Trouble Getting Around
As they get older seniors may have more trouble moving around the house. Getting up and down the stairs, or in and out of bed, or even to the bathroom and back to the living room can be harder for them than it used to be. Having a care provider in the house around the clock will ensure that there is always someone around to help your senior parent get around the house.
You Notice Things Being Left On
Is your senior loved one starting to leave the TV on? Or the faucet in the bathroom? Or the oven? If you are noticing that things are being left on that’s a good indication that someone needs to be in the house at all times with your senior loved one to prevent a major disaster like a fire or a flood.
