Concerns regarding your mom’s safety and happiness at home keep popping into your head. She’s all alone and doesn’t know her neighbors anymore. You stop in as often as you can, but you live an hour away. You struggle with work responsibilities, home upkeep, your kids’ schedules, and time spent with your mom. Feeling stressed?
Senior care services may be a smart step to take, but you’re not sure. Here are four questions you need to ask your mom today. These are all factors that help you decide when home care is right.
What Does She Struggle With the Most?
Ask your mom what she’s struggling with. She may willingly admit that keeping up with yard work is too much. She loves her home, but trimming branches, raking up grass clumps, and painting trim are too much. She might find that scrubbing a toilet or tub is too hard on her back. These are all common issues aging adults find.
If Something Happens, Can She Quickly Alert Someone?
If your mom slips on wet tiles when getting out of the shower, how quickly can she call for help? If she can’t walk, will she be able to reach a phone from a crawling position?
Does She Feel Overwhelmed by Home Upkeep?
Is she struggling to carry laundry downstairs to a basement laundry room? She may have an upstairs laundry area, which is better, but it can still be hard for her to carry heavy baskets. Is she keeping up with housework? Have you noticed the lawn doesn’t get mowed until you stop by? Are trees and plants growing out of the gutters? All of this can indicate that your mom is struggling with necessary chores.
What Does Her Typical Day Look Like?
Ask mom what she does on a typical day. Does she grow bored and walk her dog every half hour just to have something to do? Does she settle on the sofa and watch movies for hours on end? If she’s sitting for hours and not exercising, it can affect her health. If she’s bored and going outside with her dog constantly, it’s also a problem. She’s likely feeling lonely and that can affect her mental and physical health.
To make it possible for your mom to age at home, you may need to bring in senior care services. She doesn’t have to give up her independence. She simply has someone to help her with more difficult tasks. She’ll have someone to go shopping with or drive her to appointments. She gains a friend, too. Call a senior care agency to find out more.
If you or an aging loved one needs senior care in Rancho Cordova, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
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