It can be a big and difficult decision to decide when it is time to move into assisted living. A lot of people normally wait until there is a health crisis that kind of makes assisted living a must, but this is not always the case. For people who are trying to figure out when is the best time for them to look into assisted living, there are five common signs to look for. Some of these things fall into the ADLs and IADLs that are important in a person’s everyday life. ADL stands for Activities of Daily Living, and IADL stands for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.
ADLs
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Transferring
- Continence
- Eating
IADLs
- Paying Bills
- House Cleaning
- Cooking
- Going Places
- Socializing
Isolation
One of the bigger things that can affect a senior citizen is them living alone. This can cause a large range of mental problems, such as depression, but it can also cause them to develop bad habits.
Health Decline
For even the healthiest of people, it is common for them to develop health issues as they get older, though it is not guaranteed. A lot of older people have trouble managing their health as they tend to forget to properly take their medications. This can lead to their health declining as they are not able to properly take care of themselves and will need assistance.
Managing Finances
Managing a person’s finances can be a trying thing for even younger people because of all that it entails, which means the elderly struggle with it. This can be a dangerous thing because it could leave a person in a home without power, water, or heating if they are not adequately paying for everything. The elderly are also more susceptible to being scammed out of their money.
Messy House
When a house becomes too much for a person to take care of, which means it is always messing or seems to have a bad smell, then it is time for them to consider moving. Now, it could be as simple as moving into a smaller place, but it could also mean needing to move into assisted living. It depends on if the person is managing to do any of the cleaning at all, such as vacuuming or washing the dishes. If they are not doing these things, then they need to be in assisted living to do all of it for them. One of the most dangerous chores that might not be getting done is cleaning out the fridge, which means it can build up mold and become a health risk for anyone in the house.
Poor Hygiene
This is the sign that needs to be taken the most seriously because it can affect so many other things, including a person’s health. Some signs of this being a problem is if the person is not bathing enough during the week or if they are not doing their laundry and wearing dirty clothes. Their hair being unkempt and greasy can be a sign as well as their nails being dirty. If a person is older and lives alone, it is not uncommon for them to not want to bathe because they are afraid of falling while alone. Another thing that can play into someone not bathing enough is having memory problems that make them forget when they last bathed.
In any case Brightview Bel Air provides assisted living near Forest Hill and can help you decide based on a case by case situation if assisted living is right for you.
