When Is it Time for a Home Healthcare Agency?

When you’ve been caring for an aging loved one, it can feel like you’re the only one in the world capable of doing the job right. But there comes the point when you must ask yourself if caring for your loved one is putting more strain on you than you can handle.

If you’re wondering whether or not it’s time to enlist the help of a home healthcare agency, here are a few vital signs to look out for.

Disheveled Appearance

Whether you’re visiting your elderly loved one every day or not, one of the first things you should look out for is a marked change in their appearance.

You may also notice that they have more body odors and experience more skin problems. When your loved one cannot perform basic self-care tasks, it’s a good indicator that they will need in-home help sooner rather than later.

Suppose you’re helping your loved one with their day-to-day activities and can’t take on personal hygiene tasks on top of your other care duties. In that case, it could be time to consider hiring a home healthcare agency.

Memory Problems

While it’s normal to forget where you put your keys now and again, more severe incidents of forgetfulness could be symptoms of conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s developing.

If your loved one is forgetting to keep up with mail or the bills, missing necessary appointments, and becoming increasingly confused by simple tasks, it could be time to take a more significant role in seeking out home health aides to help your loved one.

This is especially important if your loved one forgets to take an important medication, eat, bathe, or perform other basic personal hygiene tasks.

Frequent Accidents

Whether your loved one has trouble standing up after sitting down for a while, they’re unsteady on their feet in general, or they have fallen and injured themselves recently, accidents like this are a vital sign that you should look into home care aide options.

In the interim, ensuring your loved one’s home is as hazard-free as possible is important. Once your loved one has experienced one fall, more will likely follow.

Deciding to invest in home health care is never easy. If you’re having trouble making the call, you can ask our team at Special Touch Home Care all of your questions.