Hoarding is when a person collects objects and things and never gets rid of them. These objects will fill up a senior’s home, and it can be dangerous because it can create chaotic paths and even impact the cleanliness of a senior’s home, encouraging pest infestation. There are so many reasons why your seniors may hoard, and they may not even know they are doing this toxic behavior. So, how can you help them and help them get rid of things so they can live independently? Here are some tips to help you address your senior’s hoarding, and how senior home care can help them work through the process.

Learn What Signs Are of Hoarding

Most of the time, you may clearly see that a senior is hoarding, but if you don’t visit often, it can be less obvious. Sometimes senior home care may mention issues, or they may be denied access to certain rooms due to the acquisition of stuff. Here are some other signs to look for.

1. A Growing Collection Of Things– The most obvious sign is the collection of things without getting rid of other things. Sometimes these things are of no value and can be junk to you but special to the seniors.
2. Spaces Becoming Cluttered– There may be so much stuff that their normal living spaces become cluttered. When things become too cluttered, it can be dangerous for your loved one and even for senior home care who is helping them.
3. They Can’t Throw Things Away– If your senior has collected things and they are trash, it can be hard for them to throw things away. Even if you ask them to throw something away, they may refuse, believing that they need it in the future.
4. Losing Items– Among all the cluttered objects, your loved one may start losing important things necessary for everyday life. When it becomes too much senior home care may not even be able to help.
   There may be more signs of hoarding, but these are the main things to look for.

How to Treat Hoarding Behavior

It can be easy to judge your loved one when they are collecting too much stuff that you don’t think is worth keeping. However, the best thing you can do is encourage and support your loved one through this hard time in their life. There are multiple ways to help your senior treat their hoarding behavior, but it will take time and patience.

Set Small Goals Together

Instead of going through their house and throwing everything away, start with one drawer at a time and then work on one room at a time. Small goals will lead to a huge outcome in the long run. This may seem like a slow way to get rid of things, but it will help a senior get used to throwing things out.

Focus on Safety

One thing you should be doing is focusing on safety for your senior. If they want to live alone, they need to be able to move around their house. Doorways, hallways, and floors should be clear of clutter. If they can’t keep the floor cleaned off, you may need to help them. This can be one of the small goals to work on.

Always Be Understanding

Seniors hoard for many reasons, and you must try to understand their side without judgment. Some seniors hoard because they can’t move around enough to get rid of things, or maybe something has a good memory for them. Either way, you need to help them throw away trash or moldy things and allow them to hang on to things with good memories.

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

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You might not realize it, but your senior could be hiding some things from you. If your aging family member is afraid of accepting help from you or from elder care providers, she may go to extra effort to keep some of these details under wraps. Here’s what you need to look for to determine if she might need more help.

Her Home Is Not in Great Shape

How does your senior’s home look? If you’re not sure because she won’t let you in, that’s something that you need to address. Assuming that you are able to visit inside her home, take a look around. Piles of mail, signs that she’s having trouble cleaning, or unsafe areas are all big red flags that mean you need to take some action and ensure that she is safe.

Her Appearance Is Off a Bit

When your elderly family member is having a tough time keeping up with everything that she needs to do, she might start to make some small changes. For instance, you might notice that she’s wearing the same clothes every time you see her. Or she might be wearing brand-new clothing every time you see her. These small changes can be big indications that there’s more going on behind the scenes.

She’s Forgetting Important Tasks

Are you hearing that your senior is forgetting about appointments? Or is it possible that she’s forgetting things like her medications? Everybody can be forgetful now and again, but these types of issues can add up to trouble quickly for your senior and might mean that she needs help from elder care providers sooner rather than later.

You’re Worried She’s Not Eating Well

Food is another area that can tell you a lot about how your elderly family member is really doing. If she’s losing weight without trying or is getting sick more often, she might not be eating well at all. It’s important to understand what is happening so that you can help her to find a solution. This can be as simple to resolve as hiring home care providers to do the cooking for your senior.

Her Car Is Showing Signs of Trouble

Your senior may be especially protective of issues around independence, like maintaining her ability to keep driving. But that might not be safe for her to do anymore. Instead of telling you that, you may find that your senior continues to drive. Look for signs of trouble on the car itself, like scratches, scuffs, or dings. These indications let you know that it might be time to have someone else, like elder care providers, doing the driving instead of your senior.

A lot of these decisions your senior may be making come back to not wanting to lose independence and dignity. What helps is to let her know that you want to preserve both as much as you can for her and allow her to keep living her life on her terms. But that might mean that she needs to accept some help.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/news/20220413/americans-over-50-want-to-age-in-place-at-home-but-many-arent-prepared-poll

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

The post 5 Ways Your Senior Might Hide that She Needs Help appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.

Newer Machines Can Be Complicated to Operate

If your elderly family member has a newer machine, these usually have a variety of different features and programs. They might even be a little more complicated than what your elderly family member is used to using. Even simple machines may not feel as intuitive for her as the ones that she might have been used to in the past.

Machines May not Have Loud Enough Alarms

Another drawback to newer machines is that the alarms and alerts can be a lot lower in volume than your senior is used to. That can mean that she isn’t able to hear them or that she becomes frustrated by using the machines. This is especially a problem if her laundry room is in the basement or is otherwise difficult for her to get to easily.

It Might Be Difficult to Use the Right Amount of Laundry Products

This can sound like a small issue, but it might be more difficult for your senior to measure out laundry products than even she realizes. The measuring cups for laundry detergent are difficult to read anyway, but if her eyesight is giving her trouble, that makes it even more of a guess. Also, if she’s losing muscle tone, she can have trouble with pouring out liquid laundry products.

Doing Laundry Can Wear Her Out

Just the act of doing laundry can be exhausting for your senior. Hefting even a small laundry basket can be heavier than she thinks and it changes her center of gravity, which could put your senior at risk of falling. Afterward, she’s got to move the laundry from one machine to another, fold the dry clothes, and put them away. It’s a lot to do and your senior might find she spreads the task out over hours or even days.

She May Put Off Doing Laundry at All

Some of these reasons can cause your elderly family member to just put off doing laundry until she can’t avoid it. The worst-case scenario might even be that she stops doing laundry completely and just goes and buys new clothes. That causes a whole other set of problems for her.

If laundry is becoming more difficult for your senior to handle, other things are, too. Having help from home care providers can be a crucial step in freeing up her time and energy for her to do the things that she loves to do.

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

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