Health

Top Signs Your Loved One Needs Assisted Living

By: Joseph Akintaju on December 5, 2012 @ 7:19 pm

An assisted living facility can be a wonderful alternative to a nursing home for those who require long-term care. While nursing homes typically require the patient to give up much of his or her freedom and independence, assisted living facilities do just the opposite. Many give the patient his or her very own apartment or room, and only provide care and assistance when requested. There are different levels of assisted living, allowing a wide range of individuals to enter into these facilities. If you think that assisted living might be a good fit for your loved one, read on to learn more.

Is Your Loved One a Candidate for Assisted Living?

Before you start looking into assisted living facilities in your area, it’s important to consider whether or not your loved one is even a candidate for these facilities. While requirements will vary from one facility to the next, the general rule of thumb is that the person cannot need full-time supervision or care. If your loved one is capable of safely taking care of his or her own self for extended periods of time, but simply needs assistance with some basic daily activities, such as getting to the bathroom or eating meals, then an assisted living facility may be suitable for him or her. If you have any doubts about where your loved one falls in terms of assisted living facility eligibility, never hesitate to ask the facility director. The director can determine whether or not your loved one would thrive in an assisted living situation and, if not, can suggest other alternatives. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/assistedliving.html).

Things to Be on the Lookout For

No one likes sacrificing their independence, so it’s very likely that your loved one will not clue you in to his or her need for an assisted living facility. As such, it’s important for you to be watchful and to pay attention to your loved one and to his or her surroundings. There are certain little giveaways that can clue you in to the fact that your loved one might be better off somewhere where help and support is always nearby.
If you notice that your loved one has stopped attending to personal hygiene or general personal care needs, or pays less attention to these needs than in the past, this might be an indication that your loved one needs help. Sometimes, elderly people stop caring for these needs because doing so is proving difficult for them, or perhaps certain activities, like brushing one’s teeth or hair, cause pain due to underlying conditions like arthritis. Whatever the reason, this is a good indication that you may want to discuss assisted living options with your loved one. Bear in mind, however, that decreased attention to these matters could also result from depression or other problems, so don’t make any assumptions; find out for sure what is causing this change.

Just as it’s important to take note when your loved one stops caring for his or her hygiene, it’s also wise to pay attention if your loved one’s home starts looking (or smelling) unkempt, especially if the person is usually neat and clean. This can be an indication that getting around to cleaning and taking care of general household matters is proving difficult. Other signs to watch out for include unsafe driving, trouble moving from one place to another, not eating or not eating healthily, not taking medications or taking medications improperly, memory loss, loneliness, and more. Always make sure you broach the topic of assisted living gently with your loved one. Try not to sound as if you are issuing a demand, but rather as if you are discussing a possibility.

This article was composed by Ty Whitworth for the team at disabilitydenials.com; visit the team at Houston disability attorney to learn about possible sources of assistance for your disabled loved one.

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