81% of physicians prefer to recommend at home health care over nursing or rehab facilities.
When More Help is Needed
Household bills piling up. Feeling overwhelmed by the simple task of opening and responding to daily mail.
Reluctance to leave the house. Problems with walking, remembering and hearing will prompt some to pull away from their community and isolate themselves. Socialization can be an important need to be met for healthy aging to occur.
Losing interest in meals. Aging adults who suddenly find themselves alone, perhaps after the death of a spouse, can be easily discouraged by such tasks as cooking and tend not to eat properly.
Declining personal hygiene. Changes in appearance, such as unkempt hair and body odor, failing to change clothes for days on end or wearing clothes that are inappropriate for the weather, are among the most obvious signs that an aging adult needs assistance.
Declining driving skills. Are parking or speeding tickets, fender benders, dents and scratches on the car becoming a problem?
Scorched pots and pans. Cooking ware left forgotten on top of an open flame may be a sign of short-term memory loss.
Possible signs of depression. Feelings of hopelessness and despair, listlessness, fewer visits with friends and family, a change of sleeping patterns and lack of interest in the usual hobbies and activities may be indicators of depression.
Missed doctors’ appointments and social engagements, and isolation. These can be signs of depression or forgetfulness. But they can also be the result of no longer having a driver’s license and not knowing how to get alternative transportation.
Unkempt house. Changes in housekeeping may come about because of fatigue or inability to keep up with household chores. They could also result from depression. 10. Losing track of medications. Aging adults often take multiple prescriptions for various health conditions. Keeping track without reminders and assistance can be confusing to anyone but, for an older adult, signs of forgetting medications show a need for assistance in medication management.
It used to be that a medical crisis could spell the end for someone who wanted to age in their own homes. But today, even older adults who suffer from chronic conditions or life-debilitating illnesses can still remain at home.
Advances in technology and lifesaving equipment have kept many aging adults at home longer. What’s more, At Ease Home Health Care can also provide licensed medical professionals to go to an older adult’s home, offering a wide range of medical and therapeutic services. Convalescing at home can actually help some older adults not only survive but thrive.
