Home for the Holidays: Are You Concerned About Your Aging Loved One?

By Nicole McClure, RN, Client Services Manager | December 8, 2016

Caregiver in Malibu CA

 

Here are a few ideas of what to check for to see if they are still thriving (not just surviving or slowly declining) as they continue to live independently.

 

What to Look For:

• A change in mobility–is your parent sitting in the same place all day? When they move do they wince in pain?
• Obvious weight change
• New dents in their car
• A stack of unpaid bills
• Leaving belongings in strange places, like putting their eyeglasses in the refrigerator
• Frequent confusion/memory loss
• Spoiled food in the fridge-or little food (especially if this is abnormal)

Parents may be fearful of being uprooted from their home if they require assistance and therefore may hide symptoms of decline and may not request assistance for the normal activities of daily living:

1. Personal hygiene – bathing, grooming and oral care
2. Dressing – the ability to make appropriate clothing decisions and physically dress oneself
3. Eating – the ability to feed oneself though not necessarily to prepare food
4. Maintaining continence – both the mental and physical ability to use a restroom
5. Transferring – moving oneself from seated to standing and get in and out of bed

 

You also want to be aware of the changes in patterns associated with IADL’s. What are the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)?IADLs are actions that are important to being able to live independently but are not necessarily required activities on a daily basis.  The instrumental activities are more subtle than the Activities of Daily Living. They can help determine with greater detail the level of assistance required by an elderly or disabled person. The IADLs include:

1. Basic communication skills – such as using a regular phone, mobile phone, email or the Internet
2. Transportation – either by driving oneself, arranging rides or the ability to use public transportation
3. Meal preparation – meal planning, preparation, storage and the ability to safely use kitchen equipment
4. Shopping – the ability to make appropriate food and clothing purchase decisions
5. Housework – doing laundry, cleaning dishes and maintaining a hygienic place of residence
6. Managing medications – taking accurate dosages at the appropriate times, managing re-fills and avoiding conflicts
7. Managing personal finances – operating within a budget, writing checks, paying bills and avoiding scams

 

If you or an aging loved one needs caregiver services in Manhattan Beach, CA, call Livewell Private Care at (323) 325-1077.  Servicing Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding areas.