Signs It May Be Time For Assisted Living

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Signs It May Be Time For Assisted Living

Worsening Medical Conditions

As seniors age, the likelihood they develop a chronic medical condition skyrockets. The AARP reported that more than 70 million people (aged 50 and older) have at least one chronic medical condition, and these can be debilitating issues like Alzheimer’s disease or heart disease. When seniors with conditions like this get older, they need more and more medical attention and are less capable of taking care of themselves. Outside of chronic conditions, the potential for medical emergencies increases with age. If your loved one indicates that he or she has fallen and struggled to get up on more than one occasion, it’s not safe for them to be living on their own. Nearly one third of seniors fall at least once every year, and the death rate for falls has climbed steadily in the past decade.

Monetary Issues

Many aging seniors have less of an ability to keep up with all their financial responsibilities. Bills from banks and insurance can pile up because seniors either don’t have the motivation to pay them or they simply can’t. Diseases like dementia also affect seniors’ ability to think abstractly and handle numbers on a complex level. This can lead to difficulties when doing taxes or taking care of multiple bills at one time. Seniors can also often be susceptible to financial scams, whether it be from telemarketers or their own family members. These scams can put seniors in debilitating financial spaces, which can prevent them from taking care of themselves—if they live in their own home or not. Many aging seniors have less of an ability to keep up with all their financial responsibilities. Bills from banks and insurance can pile up because seniors either don’t have the motivation to pay them or they simply can’t. Diseases like dementia also affect seniors’ ability to think abstractly and handle numbers on a complex level. This can lead to difficulties when doing taxes or taking care of multiple bills at one time. Seniors can also often be susceptible to financial scams, whether it be from telemarketers or their own family members. These scams can put seniors in debilitating financial spaces, which can prevent them from taking care of themselves—if they live in their own home or not.

Isolation

Senior isolation is a serious problem. More than 11 million seniors live alone, according to the U.S. Census, and isolation can affect seniors’ overall health. When seniors isolate themselves, that means they decrease how often they participate in things their hobbies, social interactions with family and friends, or just simply leaving the house at all. Some health issues associated with isolation include:

Depression: The lack of community or sense of purpose can cause seniors to become depressed, which is an agent for disease like dementia and heart disease.

Addiction : Seniors who are isolated often develop bad health habits like drinking, smoking cigarettes, and prescription drug abuse.

Mortality : Simply put, isolation is directly related to seniors’ mortality rate, according to one study.

Messy Living Space

An untidy and odorous living space can indicate a senior may not be able to live on his or her own anymore. These can often be explained with a senior’s physical ability to clean up after themselves, because it can get to the point where they can’t vacuum the house or clean the dishes (or even get dishes into the dishwasher). It’s also important you look at the food your loved one is eating. Open up the fridge and look around. Is there spoiled food stacked on top of spoiled food? Are there a lot of foods past their expiration date? Is there a lot of the same food, like leftovers of the same thing from the same restaurant? All these may be signs that your loved one 1) can’t cook for him or herself anymore and 2) aren’t eating healthy food or full meals, which causes a general unhealthiness. An untidy and odorous living space can indicate a senior may not be able to live on his or her own anymore. These can often be explained with a senior’s physical ability to clean up after themselves, because it can get to the point where they can’t vacuum the house or clean the dishes (or even get dishes into the dishwasher). It’s also important you look at the food your loved one is eating. Open up the fridge and look around. Is there spoiled food stacked on top of spoiled food? Are there a lot of foods past their expiration date? Is there a lot of the same food, like leftovers of the same thing from the same restaurant? All these may be signs that your loved one 1) can’t cook for him or herself anymore and 2) aren’t eating healthy food or full meals, which causes a general unhealthiness.

Poor Hygiene and Frailty

While a loved one may have some level of ability to take care of him or herself, a big sign it may be time for assisted living is the lack of motivation for doing so. Some signs of poor hygiene include messy grooming habits and a bad odor, which could indicate they aren’t bathing as often as they should or doing laundry. This can also mean they’re starting to lack the ability of taking care of themselves, too. Seniors can also start to become frail as they age, meaning they look skinnier or thinner than usual. This can be caused by a lack of eating, or something more serious like a medical problem that hasn’t been addressed yet.

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