There comes a time when your loved one needs assistance to live a happy, full life, but it’s often difficult to distinguish when that day has arrived. Besides the risk of offending the person you want to help by suggesting home care, it’s hard to notice the signs when you don’t know what to look for. Keep an eye out for these differences to your loved one’s daily life, so that you can hire a personal care aide right when they need one. 

Signs It’s Time to Bring in a Personal Care Aide 

1. Their Home Is Out of Sorts

When a loved one is able to manage their own home, there is a certain expectation you have when you come to visit. While not everyone runs the tidiest home, you will know when something is particularly off. Look for signs of neglect—more clutter than usual, dishes piling up in the sink, plants dying or disappearing, and messiness in their bathroom—as these differences can be a first sign that something is physically or mentally wrong with your loved one. 

2. They Can’t Handle Basic Tasks

Physical well-being can be drastically affected by a lapse in mental well-being. An unobtrusive way to observe these changes is giving them a hug. Do they feel thinner or heavier than normal? Are they frailer than you remember? Do they smell like they haven’t bathed in the last few days? Also, take a look in their fridge to see if there are signs of complex homemade meals, rather than boxes of take-out or very basic cooking.

Noticing these changes can indicate that your loved one cannot handle bathing on their own, general grooming, preparing healthy meals, and simply caring for themselves. Mental deterioration can be slowed by maintaining care for their physical well-being; proper nutrition nourishes their health, and proper grooming keeps them comfortable and confident in their appearance. If they are unable to provide for themselves in these basic ways, a personal care aide needs to be put in place immediately.  

3. They Are Hard to Reach

Some people are hard to reach by phone, but if you cannot get in touch with them at all unless you physically knock on their door, that’s a definite cause for concern. Check in with your loved one and raise this issue with them. They may not hear the phone or recognize what the ringing sound means. If their response does not improve, you should look into getting them further home care.

4. They Have Unexplained Injuries

If you find that a loved one has a bruise or injury that wasn’t there the last time you visited, odds are you automatically ask them what happened. Problems arise if they give a vague answer or don’t have an answer at all. If they’re keeping the truth from you, it means they are embarrassed about falling or not taking care of themselves, and if they truly don’t remember, they are easily forgetting other basic needs.

5. They Aren’t on Top of Their Obligations

Are bills piling up on their counter? Have they not visited with friends or even left the house for an extended period of time? Have they given up on certain hobbies or social events? Cutting back on social obligations and neglecting financial ones show that either your loved one is overwhelmed or just losing touch of what tasks are important.

While having the power of attorney in place can allow you to manage their finances, social interaction is a very important part of anyone’s emotional well-being. If you do your proper research when hiring a personal care aide for this responsibility, home care not only assures that your loved one’s needs are met, but it also gives them a friend and experienced confidant.

6. Your Own Well-Being Is Affected by Worrying and Caring for Them

As a primary caregiver, you assume a lot of responsibility catering to your loved one’s needs in addition to handling other obligations in your life—whether it’s your own immediate family, your job, or your financial and social well-being. When this obligation becomes a burden that weighs heavily on your life, bringing in a care professional can make all the difference. 

Hiring home care may feel selfish, but it is usually the best choice for your loved one as well as yourself. A personal care aide will relieve your constant worry about if they’re well-fed, taking their medications on time, and generally cared for. A caregiver will also do so with an undivided attention that would be impossible for you to give without sacrificing attention to everything else in your life. Passing off logistical responsibility allows you to focus on what’s important, spending time with your loved one because you care about them, not because you have to care for them. 

 

If you think it’s time to invest in a personal care aide for your loved one, finding a compassionate, invested caregiver will add significant value to their life. Total Life Care Inc provides in-home care to residents throughout the Sanford and Dunn, NC, areas, helping clients maintain a regular routine within their home. Caregivers assist with personal care, like bathing and dressing, prepare meals, change linens, remind a client about medications to take, and offer light housekeeping like vacuuming and laundry. To learn more about the staff and services, call (919) 776-0352, or visit their website for more information.