5 Signs Your Elderly Parent May Need Assistance

January 18,2013

Jodi Wood, RN of Summit County Visiting Angels, provides the signs adult children should look for in their aging parents to determine if in home care might be a beneficial solution.

5 Signs Your Elderly Parent May Need Assistance

Recent visits home over the holidays have some Baby Boomers and Generation X'ers concerned about their aging parent's ability to care for themselves. Long absences between visits can mean that children find their elderly parents a bit more forgetful, depressed, unsteady on their feet or exhibiting signs of early onset dementia.

œIt is common after the holidays to receive calls from adult children concerned about their parent's safety, said Jodi Wood, RN, owner of the Summit County branch of Visiting Angels. œFor the most part their parents are able to care for themselves, but there may be signs that periodic home care might be a viable solution.

Wood outlines some of the signs that indicate it may be time to consider in-home assistance.

1. Home safety. Parents who are occasionally unsteady, forget to turn the gas off under the tea kettle, struggle to navigate the basement stairs to do their laundry.

2. Nutrition concerns. Adult children may notice their parents forgetting to eat, eating unbalanced meals, struggling to plan, shop and prepare their meals.

3. Forgetful. Beyond entering a room and not remember why, some parents may begin to exhibit signs of confusion when walking the neighborhood, forgetting how to get home, or showing signs of depression and anxiety.

4. Medication management. Aging parents who struggle to manage their daily medication, can't remember if they have taken their pills or need assistance with understanding possible drug interactions or side effects.

5. Driving concerns. If the parent demonstrates confusion, poor judgment or stress over driving may need assistance running errands and getting to doctor appointments.

Although a parent may not be ready to make the move to assisted living or fulltime nursing care, often having in home care can be a beneficial solution.

œCaring for your parents from a distance can seem like an insurmountable undertaking, said Wood. œOften having someone come to the house to help the parent get their day started, with personal care, dressing, meal preparation, medicine management and companionship is all that is needed.

Before discussing a permanent move with your elderly parent, consider the options that periodic home care provides. For more information visit. www.OhioVisitingAngels.com or call 330-733-1532.

About Visiting Angels - Summit County

Visiting Angels, Summit County is one of the few home care options owned and operated by a licensed registered nurse. Jodi Wood, RN, BSN, opened Visiting Angels in 1999 and offers a wide range of in home services from light housekeeping to medicine management; one time visits to daily care. Visiting Angels provides seniors and adults with the needed assistance to continue living at home. All care givers are experienced and employed by Visiting Angels and their offices are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visiting Angels, Summit County is located at 10 Northwest Ave. Suite 200, Tallmadge, Ohio 44278 and services Akron, Tallmadge, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Hudson and surrounding areas. For more information contact 330-733-1532.

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Visiting Angels Akron Ohio

330-733-1532

Deborah C. Brown

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