December 22, 2009

Carol Carbutti, the Owner of Comfort Keepers of Wallingford, CT Would Like to Remind Family Members and Caregivers to Take the Time to Assess their Elderly Seniors Homecare Needs During the Holidays

By Carol Carbutti

We live in a very mobile society where families don’t always live in the same town or state as their senior in home parents. Unlike the “old days”, entire families throughout America don’t have the opportunity to come together as often as they would like. That is why the holiday season has become an important time to take stock of your elderly homecare parent’s health and everyday living capabilities. Family gatherings with elderly family members from out of town, or even the more frequent family phone calls from long distance relatives, are a perfect time to ‘check up’ on our aging seniors who live on their own.

It is not uncommon for the senior’s adult children, especially the Baby Boomer generation, to have some concerns about how their elderly parents are doing. In fact, according to the Family Caregiver’s Alliance, families provide 80 percent of the long-term in home caregiving assistance in this country. During this holiday season, while you are enjoying your visits or on the phone with your aging loved ones, you should make good use of your time by reviewing their living status and basic healthcare issues.

Using Your Five Senses
Family members will notice that many of your holiday traditions will tempt an aging parents five senses. These same senses can be put to use while evaluating the status of senior family members. Below is a checklist using each of your senior citizens five senses to determine if your elderly parents are in need of additional companionship or personal care assistance:

Sight - Looking at a retired senior’s appearance can be a sign that they are being limited either physically or mentally from completing otherwise normal daily tasks. Watch for things like poor personal hygiene, clothes with stains and a disorganized or dirty house.

Sound - Listening to what your senior talks about and how an elderly parent speaks can tell you a lot about their current mental status. You should not assume that “old age” is causing these issues. Do they call you by name? Are they speaking normally? Are they staying involved in outside activities?

Smell – All caregivers and homemaking companions should use their nose as an indicator to determine if their in home aging mom or dad has been bathing properly.  Family members should also make sure their elderly parents are able to keeping up with their house cleaning.  Another sign of difficulty would be if you notice that your retired parents have spoiled food in their kitchen and refrigerator.

Taste - Tasting their food and sorting through their medications can help you determine if they are eating healthy or taking expired medications. Look at expiration dates and for fresh and stocked pantry items.

Touch - A simple hug can tell you if your senior dad is fragile or losing weight. You also need to check their skin to see if it is soft and if the color is normal.  If you see any bruising or tearing you need to report this to your elderly parents’ primary doctor immediately. 

Review Status by Phone
During telephone conversations you should gently probe for information about the aging seniors health and well-being. Below is a list of sample questions that are key indicators or warning signs to help determine if your retired senior parents are in need of additional homemaking or caregiving assistance:

·         What did you have for breakfast? If your aging elderly mom cannot remember what she ate for breakfast that morning, forgot to eat breakfast or the meal appears to lack nutritious value, a memory problem such as dementia could be setting in.

·         Always ask questions to stimulate your healthy aging parents mind like, did you go to the beauty salon to get your hair cut? Did you use the new shower gel I bought you? These are good ‘backdoor’ questions to finding out whether or not your elderly loved one is remembering to take care of his/her hygiene.

·         Did you make it to Bingo this week? An early sign of senior depression is withdrawal from social activities.

·         Can your retired elderly parent speaking normally? Pay attention to differences in speech patterns, they are warning signs for medical problems that should be looked into immediately.

Help is Available
If you sense that there is a problem based on the above indictors, you and your other family caregiving members should waste no time in taking the appropriate next steps. As difficult as the process might be, keep reminding yourself that by being proactive, as a result of your observations, you will not only provide in home safety for your elderly mom and dad, but will also keep them happy and healthy for years to come.

Discuss the situation with the individual - Don’t be afraid to ask or talk to your aging loved one. Often seniors will not tell you if they are having trouble unless you ask. It is important to reassure healthy seniors about your questions. They do not want to lose their independence and are afraid of being moved out of their home into a strange environment like a senior facility.

Make a doctor’s appointment for the individual - Be sure and make the appointment when you, another family member or an in home caregiver from a local agency, can relay the concerns directly to the doctor. If you are not able to be there in person, schedule a time to call the doctor.

Determine what services are available in their community - Talk with local social service agencies or senior community organizations such as a local Area on Aging office or a senior church group.

Make minor adjustments in their lifestyle - It may be necessary to bring in outside help like Comfort Keepers here in Wallingford, CT to provide caregiving and homemaking assistance with daily activities such as meal preparation, light housekeeping.  They can also provide companionship while assisting your elderly parents with trips to the grocery store or a doctor’s appointment. Here are some questions to consider when selecting a homecare provider:

·         Is the care provider a home care agency, employment agency, registry/broker, or an independent contractor?

·         How long has the agency been providing home care?

·         How does the agency screen and select caregivers prior to an assignment? Do they hire independent contractors or are they employees of the agency?

·         Are references and criminal backgrounds checked on all employees?

·         How are emergencies handled after normal business hours?

Use this time to plan ahead for unforeseen events - Take this time to establish advanced directives including establishing a power of attorney, will, living will, etc. There is no such thing as being too prepared when it comes to the homecare and safety of your elderly parents.

Remember, the holiday season is a time for family, togetherness and establishing lifelong memories. By taking the time to address these senior issues before they reach the crisis stage, your caregiving family will have the much-needed sense of security, comfort and hopefully the ability to create new memories with your healthy aging loved ones for many years to come!

CC/dg

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