6 signs your parents may need home care support

As people age, they are likely to need some help and support with personal care and daily life around their home to remain safe and independent. You might start noticing things that make you think some support from a home care provider like St Louis Home Care could help a family member or a loved one to continue to live at home for longer.

Here are six signs or changes to look for that may indicate it’s time to start the discussion:

1. They rarely leave their house or have missed appointments.

Have you noticed your parents are staying home and not going to the places they regularly visit or have missed a few appointments lately? Losing confidence in being out and about in the community may go unnoticed, as saying no to going out once or twice seems normal. However, you may have noticed your parents want to stay at home all the time or they make excuses like not feeling up to it, the weather, illness, or an injury as to why they didn’t attend an appointment. Have you noticed your parents have lost interest in attending social, community, or regular events they once enjoyed?

Home care services can be coordinated to provide support and transport to go to appointments, and social support to remain active in their community and our clients can include wellbeing and activities that are important to them.

2. There is a change in their mood

Your parents may be feeling differently about being at home without their spouse around. They may be calling you to visit more often or asking you to do things with them or forgetting things. They may be frustrated that they can’t do things they once could and not want to acknowledge it or they be avoiding talking about how they feel in their own home. Your parents or a loved one may be acting differently or have a change in attitude or mood around you and other people. They may be frustrated or angry that they can’t do the things they once could.

Your Home Care Coordinator will ensure your parents or loved one has a small group of regular carers and support workers to match their needs, choices, and well-being. Having one-to-one support with a small support team of different care workers is good for their social health, safety, and well-being, we find this helps your family member or loved one maintain trust with a group of different people and avoids dependence on one person or carer.

3. Their health has deteriorated; they have had a recent hospital visit or they have recently been diagnosed with an illness.

How you look after your personal appearance can be an indicator of confidence and self-esteem or your mobility. If you have noticed changes or it seems your parent may not be caring about how they look or dress, or it may be a tell-tale sign they are having difficulty with mobility or experiencing changes in how they feel. They may have been ill or had recent or regular hospital visits and be needing some support for personal care and their appearance to dress or get ready now reflects their ability or mobility. If your parents are in hospital, having an operation or treatment, or have been diagnosed with an illness and don’t have a home care package contacting my aged care and getting an ACAT assessment prior to leaving the hospital may be beneficial.

Home Care providers like St Louis Home Care can coordinate as much or as little support as you need or choose, they provide support with personal care, dressing, housekeeping, mobility, aged care transport, nursing, medication support, physiotherapy, allied health, and small maintenance and gardening. In some situations, some clients choose to get private home care support while they wait for home care package approval to maintain their well-being, confidence, and independence and to reduce the likelihood of reoccurring hospital visits in the interim.

4. They are no longer cooking, or the food is out of date.

If you have noticed the fridge or pantry has less food or a lot of expired food, or there is less food in the house, their diet has changed, they may have lost weight or gained weight, you may have concerns about your parents’ nutrition or eating habits may have changed or they are no longer cooking at all. Changes in cooking or food may be due to mobility, unable to get to the shop, unable to reach items at the shop, not having the energy or strength to do the cooking or open food containers or change in their behaviour or memory.

Home care support can include helping with shopping for groceries, unpacking the groceries into the pantry and fridge, checking for expired food, meal preparation, cooking, recipe, and nutrition support. With a network support of a small team of care workers who provide one to one support in their own home, this will be organised by your coordinator with your parents, this will ensure they get people they enjoy time with and varied skilled support to meet their goals to live the life they want at home. It is worth noting that Home care packages are for support services and are not an income stream so food will always be an exclusion to what you can use your home care package funds for.

5. They are having difficulty standing or have had a recent fall

Have you noticed your parents having difficulty with balance or holding onto furniture as they move to prevent them from falling it may be an indication your parents need support at home. If they are moving less or having difficulty doing regular activities the risk of falls may increase and this may contribute to hospital visits.

Preventative support provides great foundations for maintaining mobility and well-being. Falls frequently lead to hospital visits and a change in health or ability to move. If there have been recent falls or any hospital visits it is a good time to contact my aged care for an ACAT ( Aged Care Assessment team) assessment.. Depending on the services they have approved from their home care ACAT assessment, they can access physiotherapy, allied health, and services to improve their strength, balance, mobility, pain, and safety around their home.

6. The house isn’t as clean and tidy as it once was

Have you noticed a pile of unopened mail on the kitchen bench? This could be a sign of a lack of interest in their day-to-day affairs or they may be feeling disorientated or confused about what they need to do. You may have noticed that your parent’s house is not as clean or that minor maintenance is not being done. This may be a sign your parents may need some support around their home or have issues with movement, well-being, and health or have difficulty doing things due to an age-related decline in health.

Home care support can include cleaning and safety maintenance for their home and some minor gardening support. We encourage our clients to remain actively involved in all activities. Getting support does not mean they no longer do it themselves; it’s about getting as much support as they choose to maintain their home just the way they like it to remain safe and independent. To find out more you can contact home care providers like St Louis Home Care or contact my aged care to organise an ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) assessment.

Arrange a complimentary meeting to discuss aged care options for your parents or a loved one.

We offer complimentary phone conversations or meeting in your home to discuss the needs of your parents and to help you navigate the aged care system. There are several options available to help your parents live the life they want in their own home. We can support you every step of the way. Please call St Louis Home Care Adelaide on 8332 0950, or St Louis Home Care Victor Harbor on 8552 1481 to arrange a time.