In the know.

Many of us look up to our parents as our guardians, nurturers and helpers. We are used to them taking care of us and knowing exactly what to assist us with. But as they start to age, our roles reverse and we are the ones needing to anticipate our parents’ needs. Seeing these needs is sometimes difficult because they come as subtle changes that if not addressed, can lead to serious health concerns.

Here are the most common things that adult children should watch for as their parents’ age in place:

• Forgetting to take medications
  The lack of medication management is the most common thing that starts to happen, which can be detrimental to one’s health. When visiting parents, adult children can look at the pill boxes, expiration dates and last refill date to look for signs.
  
  
• Dirty/cluttered home environment
• Children will start to notice that things begin to pile up on the tables, in the common areas and even the kitchen. Normal household chores are not being done such as washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and cleaning.
  
  
• Poor personal hygiene
  A common reason why keeping up with personal hygiene declines is that activities such as toileting and bathing become difficult for seniors when their strength decreases. Instead of doing fall risk activities, many opt to skip them all together.

When you start to notice these changes, it is ideal to start having conversations with your parents about needing additional help. Many of these can be addressed in an assisted living community. Please let us know if you would like to learn more about our assisted living community at MRC The Langford!

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