How to Know If Your Parent Needs to Move Into Assisted Living
One of the most difficult situations that you might find yourself facing as your parent gets older is deciding whether or not it is time for them to move into an assisted living facility. This can be an emotional and challenging time in their life and in yours as you seek to help them navigate things.
That being said, before diving into the process of moving your parent into an assisted living community, you need to make sure that this is a necessary step to take. If you rush things and change too much about their life too quickly, you can actually end up doing more harm than good.
There are a few things to be on the lookout for when it comes to making the decision about moving your parent to an assisted living community. Here are a few of those things that tend to be tell-tale signs that moving into an assisted living community is the right decision for your aging parent.
They Are Behind on Their House Work
There is a lot that you can learn about what your parent is capable of in regard to looking after themselves just by simply taking a look around their house. While a few chores falling by the wayside is nothing to be concerned about, true neglect of their living conditions is.
The next time you are at your parent’s house, have a good look at the state of their home. If you find broken items, an alarming amount of dust and debris, and generally dirty conditions, then you want to take some steps towards correcting the situation.
The fact of the matter is that as your parent gets older, they will struggle to maintain their household all on their own. If they are still living safely and securely on their own otherwise, then you might be able to rectify the situation by simply having a cleaner come in a few times a week. However, if things are really bad in this regard, then you should consider senior homes with cleaning services.
Their Weight Has Gone Up – Or Down
If your parent’s weight is visibly different one way or another, then this is cause for concern as well. Noticing a great deal of weight loss in your parent could be a sign that they aren’t eating as much as they should be. It might also indicate that they aren’t getting the right balance of nutrients in their diet to support healthy aging.
On the other hand, if they are putting on too much weight too quickly, this can also be cause for concern. It might mean that they are overeating or only eating unhealthy foods day in and day out. This might be because they no longer have the ability or patience to cook healthy, balanced meals for themselves.
Assisted living communities to tend to be equipped with staff on-site that will prepare healthy meals for seniors each and every day.
