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Month: January 2023

8 Warning Signs that an Aging Adult Needs Home Care Assistance

Posted on by Craig Bass
Home Care Assistance in Pleasant Hill CA
Home Care Assistance in Pleasant Hill CA

As people age, they may start to need extra help around the house. Home care assistance can you’re your senior with daily tasks like cooking meals, keeping up with laundry, and going to doctor’s appointments. But what does it look like when your senior really needs help now?

Loss of Mobility

If an aging adult is having difficulty getting around, they may need help with transportation and errands. Home care professionals can provide assistance with walking, getting in and out of bed, going to the bathroom, and more. They can also help your elderly family member to remember to use assistive devices so that she can move about more safely.

Extreme Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness is a common symptom of aging, and it can lead to missed appointments, forgotten bills, and other issues. Caregivers can help aging adults stay organized and on top of tasks. But there is a difference between normal forgetfulness and the more extreme variety. If you or your senior are in doubt, make an appointment with her doctor to assess the situation.

Difficulty with Household Chores

Aging adults may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in maintaining a home, especially as their health changes. Elder care providers can help with tasks such as grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and meal preparation. This makes life a lot easier and helps your elderly family member to continue to get her needs met.

Poor Nutrition

Seniors may find it difficult to shop for and prepare nutritious meals on a regular basis. This can very quickly exacerbate health issues and lead to bigger problems. Having home care providers assist with meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking takes that off your senior’s shoulders while still getting her the nutrition she needs.

Isolation

It isn’t easy to stay connected with other people. As your senior ages, she may even start to become isolated due to limited mobility or lack of transportation. Home care assistance can provide companionship and socialization, which can help reduce feelings of loneliness and depression.

Difficulty with Hygiene

Another possible area of concern is personal hygiene. This involves tasks like taking a shower or brushing her teeth. Instead of simply ignoring these vital tasks, it makes more sense for your senior to have help from caregivers who can maintain her dignity and independence while still assisting her.

Safety Concerns

Personal safety is incredibly important for your aging adult. With mobility concerns, housekeeping tasks, and so much more contributing to possible problems with safety, it makes sense to have someone there with your elderly family member. Home care assistance can help your senior with fall prevention and address other safety issues as they arise.

Unusual Mood Changes

Health issues are troubling enough, but they can contribute to emotional and mental changes as well. Your elderly family member might start to experience unusual or rapid mood changes that can cause you to worry about her well-being. Having home care assistance there with her can help you to keep tabs on how she’s doing.

Home care assistance can be a great way to help aging adults with daily tasks and activities. If you notice any of the warning signs mentioned above, it may be time to look into this type of care for your elderly family member.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Pleasant Hill, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

4 Signs Your Senior Parent Was Scammed

Posted on by Craig Bass
Senior Home Care in Lafayette CA
Senior Home Care in Lafayette CA

When seniors are aging at home, there is a risk that they will become the victims of a scam. Many seniors fall for scams that are cleverly designed to trick them into giving up their personal information, bank account information, or credit card information. Scammers have created very sophisticated scams that anyone could fall for, especially seniors who may not be very tech savvy. If your senior loved one is the victim of a scam they may not realize it, or they may be too embarrassed to tell you about it. But if you see any of these four signs you should act as if your senior loved one has been scammed and take action immediately to try and mitigate the financial damage:

Money Disappearing

If you are a signer on your senior parent’s accounts or if you keep track of their finances for them and you notice that money is disappearing that could be a sign they have been scammed. Carefully check where the money is going. If the money is going to the pharmacy or to local businesses then it could be money that your senior loved one is spending. But if the money is only going to online businesses and the amounts are more than your senior loved one usually spends you should freeze those debits and credit cards and look into those purchases.

Your Senior Loved One Skimping On Things

Is your senior loved one not keeping as much food in the house? Or have you noticed that they have cut back on cable TV or other services that they used to have? If your senior loved one is skimping on things they may have lost money to a scam and they are too embarrassed to tell you. If your senior loved one has senior home care as the provider why those services are disappearing. And ask the home care provider to keep an eye on things like how well the pantry is stocked and to let you know if it seems like your senior loved one is worrying about money.

Bills Not Getting Paid

Many seniors set up automatic payments for their bills to make sure that the bills are paid on time. If you notice that your senior loved one is getting bills in the mail that haven’t been paid even though they are on automatic payments check to make sure that the automatic payments are going through. If there is low money in your senior parent’s accounts the bills could be bouncing because of that.

Debt Collection Calls

If your senior loved one is starting to get debt collection calls but they don’t owe any debts that could be a sign they were scammed. If scammers opened up accounts in your senior parent’s name using their personal information your senior parent could get calls from collection companies when the scammers default on the debt. Ask the debt collectors for information like account numbers and any evidence of the debt. You may need that documentation to fight the debt and prove that your senior parent never opened the account.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20050516/why-elderly-people-may-be-more-easily-misled

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Lafayette, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.