One of the most challenging things you may have to do is put your loved one in a retirement home. This may not be a time of life that you look forward to but may be entirely necessary for the proper care of this person. Numerous signs will indicate this is something you should do much sooner rather than later. Being aware of what these can allow you to be more prepared for this time in life.
1. Isolation
One of the things you may begin to notice is that older adults want to isolate themselves more from others. This could be due to many factors that include being depressed and just not wanting to be around people.
If you continue to see this behaviour and this person is staying in much more than getting out, you may want to monitor it more. The last thing you’ll want is for your loved one to become so depressed that getting out of the house isn’t appealing.
2. Disabling anxiety
It’s not uncommon for older individuals to become more homebound due to disabling anxiety. Anxiety is genuinely a painful emotion to beat and may occur more frequently with age.
If you see that your loved one tends to suffer more from this emotion, you’ll want to consider the severity of it. If it’s gotten to the point that it’s disabling, then it may be time for a retirement home.
3. Drastic behavioural changes
It’s always a good idea to visit an elderly individual on a routine basis. Doing this will allow you to see the things this person may or may not be doing that can impact the quality of life.
For instance, is this individual taking proper care of the home? What about grooming daily and doing the necessary tasks for the best health in the short and long-term?
If you find these things aren’t being done, you may want to step in and think about putting this person into a retirement facility.
4. Lack of interest
Do you often phone your loved one and find that there isn’t any enthusiasm? If you do this on a routine basis, it can be quite upsetting.
There is likely to be a bigger problem than merely having a bad day. Taking the time to get to the root of it could be one thing you’ll want to do to assist your loved one is feeling better.
5. Losing weight
One of the first signs you may notice is that a person you care a great deal about has started shedding weight fast. This isn’t a good sign, and you’ll want to take the proper steps to find out what is causing this concern.
Scheduling some routine medical test may be a great place to start and can be helpful in identifying the problem. It may be that this individual can’t prepare meals like in the past and this can lead to weight loss.
6. Safety concerns
If your loved one isn’t able to remain safe at home, this is one of the first signs it may be time for a retirement home. It’s always essential for you to feel at ease and peace about the well-being of this individual.
You can work to ensure a much higher quality of life for a person that’s getting older and needs help. Taking time to find the ideal retirement home for this individual is a great place to start!
