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SIGNS THAT YOUR PARENTS
MAY NEED HELP AT HOME
Submitted By: Fellowship Senior Living
The burden often falls on the adult
children to recognize the signs that
their elderly parents may need help
with activities of daily living. Here are
some signs that may indicate your
parent needs help at home:
Are your elderly parents showing
signs of depression?
As people age,
they may start to feel lonely and iso-
lated. Spending more time at home,
away from people may be a sign of
depression. Seniors need companion-
ship. Keeping your parents active can
help ward off depression.
Look in the refrigerator; What is
the condition of the food? Has
anything spoiled?
Are there gro-
ceries in the home? An empty refrig-
erator may indicate a variety of prob-
lems. They may not be able to clean
it out properly, they may not feel up
to going to the grocery store or be
able to carry in the items and put
them away. They may have lost inter-
est in food. Preparing a meal and
cleaning up after may seem like a
daunting task.
What is the condition of their
home?
Is the house dirty, is there
extreme clutter are dirty dishes and
laundry piling up? This may indicate
that your parents need help around
the house.
Are there stacks of unopened
mail? Are bills getting paid?
Unpaid bills and a buildup of mail may
be a sign that elderly parents are over-
whelmed, or forgetting to take care
of household tasks. Caregivers can
help organize and keep track of mail.
Are prescription medications
being taken correctly?
Ensuring
they are taking necessary medica-
tions correctly is an important part of
protecting their safety and keeping
them healthy. If they are unable to
handle this task, they may need sup-
port on a daily basis.
Observe your parent’s appear-
ance.
Are they having a difficult time
keeping up with personal hygiene?
Do you often see them in the same
outfit? This may mean doing laundry
is a difficult task, or it may mean they
are neglecting their personal appear-
ance and hygiene. They may also be
concerned about their safety while
bathing or showering.
Take a look at the bottoms of
their pots and pans.
If the bottoms
are burned, it may indicate that tasks
like heating things on the stove are
not being supervised. This can be
dangerous and you should take
action as son as possible to get your
parent the help they need.
Are doctor’s appointments being
missed?
This may indicate they do
not have transportation, they may
not be willing to face health prob-
lems, or they may be suffering from
memory loss and have forgotten the
appointments. Hiring a caregiver to
accompany them to appointments is
a commonly requested service.
Understanding the needs of your eld-
erly parents allows you to suggest
assistance when needed, ultimately
protecting their privacy and reassur-
ing them of their independence. Fel-
lowship Helping Hands promotes
independence by helping elderly
individuals successfully remain at
home. We provide hourly and live-in
assistance with activities of daily liv-
ing. To learn more about our services
or to schedule a complimentary in-
home assessment, contact
Elizabeth
Fandel at 877-708-1121.
Fellowship
Helping Hands
Dependable
Care at Home
Medical/Non-medical Care and Care Coordination
Including:
• Personal care
• Medication oversight
• Transportation to appointments and shopping
• Meal prep and light housekeeping
• Attentive companionship...and more
Take Advantage of Our
Well Respected Services
On or Off Campus
Call 908-580-3849 for a
complimentary consultation
Give the gift of love.
Gift cards also available!
We also accept private pay,
pre-approved long-term care
insurance and most major
credit cards.
8000 Fellowship Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
www.FellowshipSeniorLiving.org
Mom was always
there for me.
Now it’s time
for me to be
there for her.
at’s why
Fellowship
Helping Hands
is the right choice for our family.
“
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PAGE 101
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“SeniorS”
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