Our 5-step guide will help you approach the topic of senior living with compassion, ask the right questions, and figure out what’s best to do next for your elderly loved one. Click here to learn more!
Keep an eye out for these 18 warning signals the next time you visit or meet up through video chat:
The dreaded trio of late payments, collection calls, and bounced checks
They either pay their bills late or not at all. Have you gotten any calls from debt collectors?
Appliances and fixtures that have been broken or are in disrepair
Does the lack of functioning kitchen appliances mean that they no longer cook or stick to a set eating schedule? Are essentials like smoke detectors and light bulbs failing or being ignored?
Extreme changes in one’s mood
Compared to how they treat you, your friends, or complete strangers, are your parents acting strangely?
Messy, unclean, and chaotic dwelling
Do you find that the house has changed or become strange?
Problems recognising and completing routine duties
Have you noticed that your parents often ask for help with things like laundry, vacuuming, and dishwashing because they just don’t know how to do them?
Lacking motivation or experiencing feelings of depression
How would you describe your parent’s mood lately? Is there still joy and mirth in their faces?
Being dressed in a sloppy or torn manner.
Are your parents often careless about how they look? Can you tell if their clothing are dirty or worn?
Keeping stale food in the house
- Are leftovers going bad in the fridge or causing an unpleasant odour in the house?
- Do they frequently misplace or lose things like their keys, wallets, or passports?
- Incorrect administration of medications
- Are there any empty bottles of medication in the bathroom or kitchen?
- Not attending to necessary home or garden upkeep
- Is the weed growth out of hand? Is there a pile of rubbish in the driveway?
- Disinterest in past interests
Do you know when they last did anything they truly enjoyed?
To be late for a crucial appointment
Are they often missing or rescheduling appointments?
Excessive calorie consumption or a drop in weight
Do they consume very little, or do they live off of fast food and packed snacks?
Lack of interest in maintaining even basic standards of cleanliness
Do they more frequently experience odorous breath or body odour?
Difficulty rising up from a sitting position
Is it hard for them to move about or to sit or stand?
Constant bumps and bruises
Do they seem to be getting more scrapes and bruises than usual?
Those dings and scratches on their car have no explanation.
Having more collisions, perhaps? Is it the case that they are careless with their vehicle and their safety?
