Recognizing The Need for Help
The golden years can be a time of joy and pleasure, filled with laughing grandchildren, golf or other activities, social time with friends and family, and more. They can also be a time of change, a time of uncertainty, as the memory begins playing tricks on us, we face physical and emotional changes, and once simple tasks become more difficult. Sometimes these changes are gradual, but occasionally they spring upon us, particularly in the wake of an illness or accident. With this in mind, older adults must stay ahead of the game to ensure their safety during all of life’s transitions. A key factor is being able to recognize when it is time to turn to others for assistance or support within the home.
There are several warning signs that serve as good indicators that it might be time to seek outside support to meet the needs of an older loved one. If you find they are forgetting to pay bills or overpaying on them, missing doses of daily medication or taking it incorrectly, finding that a chronic illness is prohibiting them from doing daily tasks like preparing meals, housekeeping or driving, or are witnessing a reoccurrence of falling - it might be time to consider turning to others for help.
Whether a senior could benefit from having a loved one come over one afternoon a week to help with household chores and paying the bills or need daily assistance with activities ranging from bathing to transportation from a local home care provider, it’s important the older adults in our lives realize that it is okay to ask for help. Both the older adult as well as concerned family members will likely be pleasantly surprised to find just how willing others are to lend a hand, from family and friends to neighbors or members of the church. It can be both a comfort and blessing to have regular visits by these friends and loved ones, as they can meet emotional needs at a level no one else can. In addition to this existing informal support network, a variety of helpful community resources are also available to help enhance the quality of life for older adults.
There are also a number of trained professionals, social workers and experienced geriatric care managers in the area who can assist the older loved one and family with planning, decision-making and the selection and placement of appropriate resources. They can provide educational information on vital aging and caregiver topics, placement services to help determine when a change in living arrangements is the best choice, direct services to provide care and support in the home and much more.
If you think you could benefit from such resources but are unsure where to start, a good place to turn is the Caring Workplace. We can help link you to resources and offer emotional support and guidance during a time of planning or transition.