When Your Aging Parent Needs Help

It is not always easy to determine your aging loved ones are deteriorating significantly or in need of help.  Assisted Living, Elder Care and Long Term Care planning have come a long way and professionals assistance is available for families struggling with these issues. Below are some guidelines to assist you when your parent or loved one needs help.

Aging Process

Normal aging occurs in everyone. Some signs associated with normal aging are as follows:

• Decrease in vision
• Decrease in hearing
• Decrease in the function of the heart
• lungs and kidneys
• Increase in the time it takes to remember

Changes that require immediate attention.

Inability to perform activities of daily living such as:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Toileting
• Ambulation
• Shopping
• Laundry
• Feeding Self
• Food Preparation
• Use of telephone
• Housekeeping
• Transportation
• Ability to handle finances Responsibility for own medication

Weight loss

Loss of appetite leads to weight loss which may be due to any of the following:

• Medications
• Memory loss or Dementia Depression
• Chronic medical problems

This inability to perform these tasks may indicate underlying physical or psychological problems. A thorough evaluation is necessary. These problems did not occur overnight and may require more than one intervention. Geriatric care managers are available to perform an evaluation to determine the type of interventions necessary.

Common Diseases That May Cause Disabilities and Death in Older Adults.

• Heart Disease
• High blood pressure
• Pneumonia
• Flu
• Lung Problems
• Cancer
• Urinary tract infections
• Memory loss or Dementia
• Depression

Chronic Problems That Require Attention

Medical Problems

We must not think of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure as normal when people age. Geriatric care managers can assist you in monitoring these problems so that your loved one can have the best quality life possible.

Memory Loss

This is one of the most difficult problems faced by seniors. Memory loss usually manifests itself gradually. You or your loved one may not recognize that there is a problem or may deny it exists.

Early signs of memory loss may include forgetting dates, not eating, not bathing. It may manifest itself in the inability to handle finances and making excuses not to participate in social events due to poor memory.

The causes of memory loss are many. Memory loss may be due to depression, medications, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and nutritional deficiencies. It is very important to a have a thorough evaluation to determine the cause to help you and your loved one determine the present and future care that will be needed.

Depression In The Elderly

Depression is a common illness of the elderly. There can be multiple events that can trigger depression such as death, and the loss of independence due to chronic illnesses. Signs of depression are irritability, anxiety, sadness, loss of appetite, social withdrawal and difficulty sleeping. Depression in the elderly is treatable.

Adult Children as Caregivers

Adult Children must recognize how difficult it is to take over the role of caregiver. Much resistance may be met especially if your loved one does not recognize there is a problem. There are health care professionals such as geriatric care managers who are available to help you in all these areas. It is up to you to make use of their skills to alleviate stress by getting the help you need.