May 5, 2020 | Aging Life Care, Covid-19, Home Care
Maintaining independence is important for your aging parents, but like many older adults, they might experience physical or cognitive health decline. If you see your parents are struggling, you can offer resources and care for their daily needs. What is the right solution to help your aging or elderly parents? With the advent of COVID-19, many people are rethinking their options.
Safety is the Top Priority
A top priority is ensuring the safety of your loved ones. Some families are concerned about allowing a professional caregiver into their parents’ home during quarantine, but there are also risks if you don’t set up care for your parents. The health changes your parents might experience, such as limited mobility, declining eyesight, and slower cognitive processing can increase the risk of an accident or injury at home, and can lead to hospitalization.
Functional and cognitive limitations can result in your aging parent being unable to perform their daily activities, like cooking a meal, shopping for groceries, cleaning the house, or driving a car. If their safety is in jeopardy, then you should step in to help with the necessary resources.
Watch for These Signs
Here are a few signs that it’s time to help your aging or elderly parents:
- Forgetfulness
- A change in cognitive abilities
- Damage to the car
- Clutter in the home, including piles of unpaid bills
- Poor personal hygiene
- Social isolation which can include symptoms of depression
- Falls or unexplained physical injuries
These signs could indicate that your mother or father is struggling to manage daily tasks. Your aging parents may not bring up these issues with you. It is important that you ask them about how they are performing their daily activities, and also look for “clues” when you interact with them or visit their home.
In-Home Care or Retirement Community?
When you can see that additional support is needed, compare your options for in-home care vs. moving your parent to a senior living community (retirement community). Regardless of your choice, it is imperative to talk to the management of the company or facility about their safety practices to avoid the spread of COVID-19. There are pros and cons with staying at home or moving to a facility. You will need to weigh various issues, such as your parents’ preferences, infection control considerations, and budget.
It can be difficult to know where to start with choosing the right care solutions. As you are evaluating your options to help your aging or elderly parents, our team at Windward Life Care is here to help you find the right resources in San Diego. Reach out to talk to our team to learn more about your options.