An aging parent who lives alone at home may find themselves in a challenging situation. As they need help during this time in their lives, you may already be lacking in those terms, most especially if you have work to attend to, and children to take care of. When this happens, you need to be able to distinguish whether or not the situation is safe for them. Otherwise, it is best to send them to a retirement community where team members are more than ready to assist them in their daily errands and needs. Here are signs that say they are no longer safe living alone.
Weight Loss
Have your parents lost a considerable amount of weight over a short period of time? This may be because they are no longer eating well. Imagine yourselves in their situation, and you will know that it is very hard to chew food when no one is there to share it with. Also, they may be forgetting when it is time to eat their meals. This may be a reason for their weight loss.
Unopened Mails in the Home
They won’t care about doing so because they may be busy with other things, or they have simply lost their drive to open the mail. This can be taken as a sign of a developing cognitive condition. You need to keep a close eye on your parents if they are no longer opening these important letters.
The House is Messy
They may no longer be enthusiastic when it comes to doing regular chores at home, or it may be that their condition (which you are not aware of) is prohibiting them from doing so. This is often a neglected issue, considering that others may think this is normal for their age. When this is happening to your loved ones, it is best to move them to assisted living homes.
Personal Hygiene is Compromised
Your loved ones may no longer remember the steps to take when bathing. This can prevent them from paying attention to their personal hygiene. They may not even be concerned anymore about why they must take a bath each day. This results in sacrificing their personal hygiene, thinking no one will be able to take notice of it.
Getting Lost Even in Familiar Places
If someone is frequenting department stores and grocery stores, then it will be easy to remember these places should they need to go to one every now and then. If your loved ones have already lost track of these places, and do not even know what these destinations are for, then it is time to think they are no longer safe doing errands alone. They need someone by their sides to get these routines done.
These are but some of the few signs to consider if you think your loved one is no longer safe living alone in their home. There are yet other challenges they will face as they grow older. If you do not want to compromise their health and safety, then choose to move them to a retirement community; the sooner you do, the better it will be for them.
