EPICURE Early Spring 2020

EPICURE later life
CARE CONSIDERATIONS
Assessing the care needs of your elderly loved ones can
be a testing and very emotional process. We have some
advice on how to know when to make those difficult
decisions.
The Most Obvious Signs
These signs are often the ones that would cause you concern
straight away - often it involves an accident like a fall or a
health scare. It may also include a chronic health problem
which is worsening or a susceptibility to illnesses which take
hold for a while.
The most crucial thing to look out for is whether your
relative is coping with essential everyday tasks like dressing,
shopping, cooking, managing medications and so on. If there
are no immediate worries for health problems, it may be
that your relative just needs a little more help in the home. A
really useful website is www.housingcare.org which can help
you find a list of home services available to help enable them
to live more happily at home.
If frailty or the frequency of injuries in the home is
increasing, it may be worth looking into assisted living
of some sort. For those who are still relatively mobile,
retirement apartments are an excellent option. Many have
a great little community at their heart with easily accessible
amenities, 24-hour support in case a fall happens again but,
vitally, maintain that element of freedom that is so important.
Changes in Appearance
The way your relative looks and feels when you hug them
can tell you if they are well. If there are noticeable weight
gains it may be that their mobility is being impeded or that
they have developed diabetes. On the other hand, weight loss
could indicate forgetfulness to eat or shop for food, or more
serious underlying health problems like depression or cancer.
Bad body odour and dirty clothes can tell you if they are
struggling to wash themselves and manage their household.
Whilst often quite subtle, these signs can indicate important
changes that are the result of declining health or mobility.
If you aren’t sure, accompany your relative to the doctor to
make sure all their needs are being addressed. The issues with
personal hygiene could be as simple as an inability to climb
in and out of the bath, so consult a fitter who can install a
new one. Other problems relating particularly to mental
health are more serious and could mean your relative needs
to move from home for more specialist or nursing care. This
is by no means an easy decision and must be undertaken over
time.
Social Activity
When people enter retirement, their hobbies and social
meetings generally increase. Active friendships are vital for
happiness, be it lunches with friends or a regular meeting
with a hobby or religious group. If you notice that your
loved one has started to shy away from these meetings or go
for large chunks of time without leaving the house, this is
cause for concern. Lack of companionship is associated with
depression and heart problems in older adults. If you know
that your relatives friends have died or moved away, moving
them to somewhere where there are opportunities for new
friendships could be lifesaving.
In the Home
If you have assessed their well-being in person and believe
there is a problem, it is definitely worth visiting their home to
see how well they are taking care of things. Can you find lots
of expired food in the fridge, dirt and grime in the kitchen
and bathroom and lax housekeeping? These could be signs
of a lack of mobility, in which case an in-house cleaning
service could help. More worryingly, they could be the onset
of dementia - meaning your relative is losing the ability to
remember to follow through on cleaning mess and run their
home.
Making the decision to change the lifestyle of your loved one
is huge and the emotional and financial implications must be
carefully considered, but at the centre of it is the importance
of making sure they are as safe, happy and well as possible, in
an environment that meets their needs.
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