There are many types of decline that can occur as someone ages. Physical and mental decline tends to be the easiest to spot, like if someone is suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease or is in need of help after suffering a stroke.
But the need for care isn’t always this easy to spot. Some of these things mentioned above might be easy to recognize and it might be common sense that people facing these situations will need professional help to stay safe on a daily basis. But social isolation, emotional decline, and other issues can also point to a need for senior care. Recognizing these things can be more difficult to do.
To oversimplify it, when someone begins to struggle to do things that they do on a daily basis, care is needed.
This doesn’t mean that it’s instantly time for a loved one to move into a nursing home. Different degrees of care can help to offset these changes. A family caregiver helping out an hour here and there might be all that’s needed for your loved one to thrive. Determining the degree of care needed is a topic for another post.
We know that each situation is a little bit different. Not all warning signs that care is a must are going to be cut and dried for every family. You’re more than likely going to experience a lot of gray areas, where your decisions aren’t quite as clear or easy to make as you would like them to be.
That’s okay. These kinds of decisions shouldn’t be easy. They have a huge impact on the people you love. Things like that shouldn’t be rushed or made without a good deal of thought and love going into the final outcome.
This is why it’s so important to have a team of people that you can rely on when it comes to making these tough decisions.
If you’re not sure who the community resources are near to you, reach out to someone you know for help. This might be someone who works for your county, a local church, or a doctor. These individuals and organizations tend to have a lot of connections. If they don’t know the right resources to point you toward for the best care possible, they will know who can get you in that direction.
As always, please let us know if we can help. We pride ourselves in providing the best in-home care in the Bay Area. If you’re not sure where to start, feel free to get in touch. We offer free consultations designed to get the ball rolling and help your family get connected to the resources that will help them the most. If we aren’t the right choice for a loved one’s care needs, we’ll let you know and help get you pointed toward the services that will help.
It starts with a call. Give us, or another trusted resource, a call today to get started. The sooner you find the right care for a loved one, the sooner they can start living a higher quality of life during this difficult transition.
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