From staying hydrated to maintaining social connections, you can take numerous steps to keep your brain healthy.
For most families, this is one of the most difficult conversations to have. When you go to your mother or father’s house, something feels different. Maybe the house is not how you remember it; perhaps they are quieter than you are used to. You wonder if they’re truly capable of living by themselves, Knowing the signs your elderly parent needs home care is one of the most important things.
Many citizens throughout Australia also find themselves asking this question: How do I know when my elderly relative needs assistance with age care?
The reality is that the clues are often very gradual. They can gradually appear over time and by the time you can see the signs, the elderly relative’s circumstances could already be severe. This article will provide you with 10 signs your elderly parent needs home care that your elderly parent may require an aged care service at their residence and what should be done.
Why Families Struggle to Recognise the Signs Elderly Parent Needs Home Care
Independence is central to the identity of most mature Australians. The matriarch or patriarch of any mature family has been the person who has taken care of everyone for many years. Therefore, asking for assistance would feel unnatural and many of these elderly individuals would insist they were “fine” well beyond the point when signs of deterioration indicate they aren’t.
As a family member it’s common to feel uncomfortable about talking with the elderly person you care about when it comes to needing assistance from others. You may be concerned about embarrassing them, having the elderly individual feel less capable than they once were, or feeling like you are taking away their independence because they now need help. These are common concerns.
However, by waiting too long to assist a loved one, you risk the potential for accidents, illness, or a crisis that could have been prevented with a small amount of proactive assistance. Being able to identify when a person may need help at home is based on doing everything in your power to help that individual remain safe, healthy, and independent for as long as possible.
Sign 1: Struggles with Personal Hygiene or Grooming
One of the significant indicators that your senior parent might require assistance at home is when they have difficulty maintaining basic personal hygiene (grooming, laundry, etc.). You should take note if your parent (who always takes pride in their appearance) suddenly stops showering regularly, has dirty clothes, wears the same outfit multiple days, or otherwise appears unkempt.
In many cases this isn’t because they are lazy; it may be due to physical limitations. As someone’s mobility, strength, or mental capacity declines it can become very difficult for them to complete everyday tasks such as using food/eating utensils, buttoning clothing, etc., in addition to taking a shower.
What to do: A personal care worker can visit a few times a week to assist with showering, dressing, and grooming in a dignified and respectful way. Visit our Personal Care page to learn more.
Sign 2: The Home Is Getting Difficult to Keep Clean
Go back to your parents’ house and check for items in their house that could indicate they are having difficulty maintaining their house. Are there piles of old unopened mail on top of the kitchen bench? Are the floors dusty or sticky? Has the main bathroom not been cleaned for some time? Would the rubbish bin overflow?
An unkempt home signals that an individual is not able to maintain their home; most of the time, it is not because of a lack of care, but that it has become too physically challenging for the person living there. For those that experience arthritis, chronic pain or decreased energy, cleaning either a full house or a large bathroom may be far too challenging.
What to do: Regular domestic assistance, even just a few hours a week, can make a significant difference to both the home environment and your parent’s wellbeing.
Visit our Domestic Assistance page to learn more.
Sign 3: Forgetting Medications or Missing Doctor Appointments
Managing multiple medications is very complex; even when an individual’s cognitive ability is good, it can present significant safety issues for elderly individuals whose cognitive function is deteriorating. If there are missed doses of medication, confusion regarding which pills are to be taken on which day, or a pattern of missed appointments, this may be symptomatic of serious problems that should be investigated.
Medication mismanagement is one of the primary reasons for preventable hospital admissions for older Australians. A missed blood pressure tablet or a missed diabetes medication over time can have a devastating impact on a person’s health.
What to do: A registered nurse or Nurse Practitioner can conduct regular home visits to review medications, set up a Webster-pak, and liaise with your parent’s general practitioner.
Visit our Nursing Care page to find out more.
Sign 4: Unexplained Weight Loss or Poor Nutrition
Are you worried about your parent’s unexplained weight loss? Does it seem like they are not eating anything except for a piece of toast and some tea? When you visit them, do you see that almost everything is gone from the refrigerator? In older adults, malnutrition occurs more frequently than people realize and can lead to serious problems with energy, immune function, healing, and general health. Sometimes it’s because they have difficulty cooking or are exhausted from cooking; other times it’s because they are lonely or just lack the motivation to make a meal for themselves; sometimes it indicates early signs of loss of cognitive function.
What to do: A home care worker can assist with meal preparation and grocery shopping. A Nurse Practitioner can assess weight loss and refer to a dietitian if needed.
Sign 5: Increasing Falls or Near-Falls at Home
Falls amongst the elderly are more than just an inconvenience; they can result in a broken hip, spending time in the hospital, and months of rehabilitation. Near falls (when they catch themselves against furniture or walls) should be regarded as serious and may indicate a problem that needs to be addressed. An increase in falls could be attributed to weakness or instability in their muscles, problems with vision, side effects from medicines they take, or hazards in their home like falling rugs or poor lighting. Regardless of the cause, the risk associated with falls for seniors is very real, and they can be reduced or eliminated through preventative measures. This is one of the clearest signs your elderly parent needs home care support
What to do: An occupational therapist can assess the home for fall hazards. A physiotherapist can work on strength and balance. Both services are available under aged care funding. Our Allied Health Support team can help coordinate this.
Sign 6: Social Withdrawal or Increased Loneliness
Is your parent no longer attending regular social functions? Are they becoming less likely to answer telephone calls, text messages, or knocks on the door? Upon visiting them, do they seem to be unenthusiastic, apathetic, or depressed? Isolation from social activities is one of the largest contributors to poor health outcomes for older Australians; such as depression, declining cognitive function and, shorter life expectancy.
Many older Australians have had their worlds become less and less public as they retire, lose their partners or have reduced mobility (due to disability).
What to do: Social support visits from a care worker can make a genuine difference. Regular company, conversation, and gentle encouragement to re-engage with the community can lift mood and improve overall wellbeing significantly.
Sign 7: Worsening of a Chronic Condition
If your parent has a chronic health condition such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, or dementia, look for signs that their chronic conditions and their ability to manage those conditions have worsened in the home environment. This may be indicated by the presence of more frequent bouts of shortness of breath, elevated blood sugar levels, increased instances of confusion, or more frequent visits to the emergency department.
Management of chronic diseases is dependent on repeat evaluations of the patients’ health status and continued management and monitoring, as small changes to the way they manage their chronic diseases or changes in their ability to manage their chronic diseases, can result in a significantly increased potential for their wellbeing.
What to do: A Nurse Practitioner can provide regular clinical monitoring at home, adjust care plans, and work closely with your parent’s specialist and general practitioner to keep the condition well managed. This falls under Clinical Care funding, which is fully covered under the Support at Home program.
Sign 8: Difficulty Managing Finances or Paperwork
Are there piles of unpaid bills accumulating on your kitchen table? Is your parent struggling to understand their banking statements or has undue stress about their finances being handled as they should? Is your parent receiving mail that is important and being discarded or misplaced? Having difficulty managing paperwork and finances are often one of the first indications of cognitive decline, however, it could also just be an overwhelming amount of administrative tasks related to daily living. Either way, it is good to take note of this behaviour.
This type of behaviour also makes older people a target for financial scams. Unfortunately, as the amount of financial scams increases, many of the victims are older Australians. If you feel your parent is showing signs of financial confusion then you may want to have an open discussion with them about their financial management.
Sign 9: Family Carers Are Exhausted or Burning Out
There may be no clearer indication of the need for professional in-home care than your own situation. If you or other family members are providing a substantial amount of unpaid caregiving for a parent and are feeling exhausted, resentful, anxious, or experiencing adverse health from this experience, then those feelings are considered to be in the realm of caregiver burnout. Caregiver burnout is very real, serious, and common among adult children providing care to ageing parents.
You still love your parent despite experiencing caregiver fatigue; this merely indicates that you are doing too many things by yourself for too long without proper help from others. Using professional home care services does not mean you abandon responsibility for your family member; it means that both of you will work together to share the burden of caring for them; therefore allowing you to be a loving son or daughter again instead of an exhausted full-time caregiver.
What to do: Respite care and regular home care services can relieve pressure on family carers significantly. Contact our team to talk through what support is available.
Sign 10: Your Parent Has Recently Been Discharged from Hospital
When an older adult is discharged from a hospital, there is considerable vulnerability during the first few days after discharge; Older persons might return home from the hospital in a weaker condition than when they were admitted, have new medications, care for a new medical condition that requires caring for a wound or a treatment, and return to a home environment that may possibly be unsafe. Family members are often surprised to learn that there will be little or no home care assistance for their parent after discharge from the hospital. Many families believe they will take care of their parent at home alone after discharge. If the family does not have access to home care assistance, their risk of needing to be readmitted to the hospital will be high.
What to do: Expert Health Services can step in quickly following a hospital discharge to provide nursing care, personal care, and clinical monitoring at home. Contact us as soon as you know a discharge date is coming.
What to Do Next: How Home Care Can Help
If you recognised any of these signs your elderly parent needs home care, take action quickly, it is very important to avoid waiting until there is a serious problem before doing anything.
Here are a few steps to take:
- Reach out to your parent and let them know what you’ve noticed about their behaviour and ask about their opinion on how they feel. Be gentle, honest, and curious rather than rushing or worrying.
- Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask about getting your parent an assessment that will give them access to subsidised home care services.
- Contact an approved home care provider, such as Expert Health Services, and inquire about what types of service your parent may qualify for while waiting for their assessment or if they need services immediately.
You don’t need to do this alone. The team at Expert Health Services has supported hundreds of families throughout south-western and south-eastern Sydney get through similar situations to what you are going through today, and we look forward to working with you to achieve the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common signs an elderly parent needs home care?
The most commonly observed changes related to interests, accomplishments, or self-care routine within an individual’s household include lapses in routine hygiene, an unkempt or unclean house, missed medication dosages or missed medical appointments to see the doctor (i.e., a missed physician’s appointment), unexplained weight loss over an extended period of time, or experiencing an increase in incidents/falls; persistent withdrawal from family, friends, social networks, etc., continued lifestyle decline or worsening of an existing chronic disease, inability to properly manage finances, caregiver exhaustion or fatigue, and having been discharged or released from the hospital recently. If you are experiencing any of these changes with your elderly parent or other loved one and feel that they need assistance due to any combination thereof, you should contact My Aged Care to get started on the means of getting them assessed by calling 1800-200-422.
At what point should I think about looking into a home care option for an elder/Loved One?
As soon as you notice they are having difficulty performing daily functions independently and safely, you should start considering them for a potential home care option. Providing support before there is a major crisis – such as an incident that causes permanent, temporary, or long-term damage (e.g., falling; being admitted to hospital; suffering from various chronic medical issues, etc.) is always going to be more beneficial. Home care does not have to be full-time in order to be effective; anything less than full time can still give an aged individual the ability to continue living at home and improve their quality of life for themselves.
How do I start the process of getting home care for my parent in Sydney?
To begin the process of obtaining home care for a parent in Sydney, contact My Aged Care at 1800 200 422 or visit their website (www.myagedcare.gov.au) to request an assessment and become registered. After approval, choose an approved provider (such as Expert Health Services) to begin receiving services. Expert Health Services supports families in Bankstown, Revesby, Milperra, Randwick, Maroubra, and surrounding areas in both the South West and South East regions of Sydney.
Can home care help with dementia?
Yes, dementia-related home care services can be customized to help individuals living with dementia and can include personal care; supervision; medication management; as well as cognitive supports. In addition, a nurse practitioner can monitor the individual’s condition and communicate/coordinate with the individual’s specialists and/or general practitioners. Expert Health Services can work with each family’s specific home care needs and determine the best options for dementia-related home care.
