A caregiver helps her loved one into their car.
Noticing changes in a loved one’s daily routine or activity levels can be difficult. These changes can be warning signs that extra support may be needed at home. From missed medications and increased fall risks, to feelings of loneliness or difficulty keeping up with housework, certain signs suggest it’s time to explore homecare options. But what is homecare, exactly?
Homecare is an umbrella term for care that is an alternative to the residential or institutional care provided at assisted living centers and nursing homes.1 Homecare helps people with activities that they need to perform on a regular basis to live independently. These activities are known as ADLs or activities of daily living and include things such as light housekeeping , hygiene, grocery shopping, cooking and eating, among other activities.2
Briefly observe your loved one and survey their living area. What do you see? Is he or she struggling to complete essential tasks? These early indicators can help you make proactive choices that preserve their independence and peace of mind. Let’s keep reading and learn more about signs that you or a loved one may need homecare.
Difficulty Managing Daily Tasks
The first sign that you or your loved one may need home is that they struggle to complete both basic and instrumental ADLs.3 Basic ADLs are tasks that you and I may take for granted such as dressing, bathing, and moving. Trouble keeping up with cooking, cleaning, or personal hygiene can signal that extra help is needed for day-to-day living.
There is another category of ADLs that take a high level of functioning called IADLs. IADLs are activities that are crucial to running and living independently such as managing money, managing doctor appointments, meal prep, shopping, transportation, communication and managing a household.
Frequent Forgetfulness or Missed Medications
For instance, you or your loved one may notice it is getting harder to cook meals, vacuum, get to the grocery store, set up doctor appointments or to pay bills on time. This is a good sign it’s time to reach out and set up someone to come assist them at home.
Memory lapses that affect safety or health routines often indicate it’s time for support with medication management and reminders. This can lead to medication errors or noncompliance with medication regimens. Medication non-compliance is a leading cause of hospital admissions in the elderly4, and can be harmful or fatal. Homecare personnel can safely provide medications reminders and supervision in a respectful manner that supports client wellbeing.5 This type of early intervention can help prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.
Increased Falls or Mobility Issues
Falls can be harmful, injurious, and even fatal in the elderly and people in need. Unsteady walking, balance problems, or recent falls suggest a need for assistance to prevent injuries at home. Caregivers and family can help create a culture of safety in the home via training that prioritizes identifying hazards, near misses and reporting accidents, with the goal of continuous improvement of safety.6
Noticeable Changes in Mood or Isolation
Withdrawing from social activities or showing signs of depression can be signs your loved one would benefit from companionship and emotional support. If mood changes and isolation intensify, it can lead to a syndrome called AFTT- Adult Failure to Thrive, where an elderly or disabled person experiences loss of appetite, weight loss, and decreased activity.7
Caregiving provides necessary social stimulus to help combat the onset of depression, isolation, and is helpful in ameliorating AFTT.8
Declining Health or Slow Recovery
Have you or your loved one recently returned home after a lengthy hospital or physical rehab stay? Worsening chronic conditions or delayed healing after illness or surgery may require professional monitoring and caregiving at home. In addition to helping with ADLs, caregiving is often needed in these situations to supplement services provided by Home Healthcare Agencies, which have limited amount of visits they can provide per insurance guidelines.
Care To Go Homecare offers affordable caregiver services in Harrisburg and Hershey, PA. We are happy to give you a free consult. Let’s talk about how you or your loved one could benefit from homecare and caregiving service in Central PA.
If you have any questions about signs that you or your loved one may need homecare, comment below. If you are looking for homecare or caregivers in the Harrisburg and Hershey PA area, contact us here. We look forward to speaking with you!
Sources
- Home Care Services: MedlinePlus
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
- Instrumental Activities of Daily Living – The OT Toolbox
- The Role of Medication Noncompliance and Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalizations of the Elderly | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network
- Never Miss a Dose: How Caregivers Help with Medication Reminders — Elite Care Northwest
- Essential Safety Precautions and Fall Prevention Strategies in Home Care | Pennsylvania Homecare Association
- https://www.drugs.com/cg/failure-to-thrive-in-older-adults.htm
- Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications – PMC