If you are wondering if your loved one needs a home care service to come to his or her home, there are assessment questions you can ask yourself to help make that decision. The questions will help you to decide if there are potential risks or threats to your family member’s independence and safety. These questions in categories are as follows:

Under physical health, the questions you should consider are:

• Has he or she been in the hospital lately or been diagnosed with any chronic illnesses or diseases?
• Has there been any weakness, dizziness or has there been difficulty in getting around for your loved one. Have there been falls or accidents?
• Has there been an unexplained weight loss recently?
• Has any form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s, been diagnosed? Is he or she been showing signs of depression, anxiety or psychosis? What about confusion, disorientation, sadness or loneliness? Are there mood swings or signs of forgetfulness?
• Has he or she ever gotten lost and couldn’t find his or her way back home?

Under medication usage:

• Does your loved take multiple medications and is he or she having trouble taking them? Is the right amount being taken, at the right times and as directed? Is there forgetfulness in taking medications?
• Are medications taken with the proper food or liquid that’s required?

Under daily living skills:

• Does he or she have difficulty with bathing or getting themselves dressed?
• What about walking, getting up from a chair or waking up and down stairs; is there difficulty in performing these functions?
• Does he or she need help preparing food, shopping, doing yard work, housework or laundry? Is the house in disarray? Does the refrigerator have old moldy or outdated food in it? Has he or she ever forgotten to turn off the stove after use; what about the oven or the water in the sink?
• Has he or he lost interest in food and developed poor or indifferent eating habits?

Under Home and community safety:

• Are there loose throw rugs, smoke alarms which need new batteries, steps which are difficult to get up and down or inadequate heat or air conditioning in the home?
• Does your loved one refuse to wear hearing aids, use a walker, a wheelchair or other devices which would contribute to safety?
• Has he or she cut off contact with friends and family, or is reluctant to leave the house?
• Does he or she no longer go to church, synagogue, work or other social interactions which he or she previously enjoyed doing? Does he or she no longer do hobbies or pastimes which previously were also enjoyed?
• Does he or she sleep too much during the day or watch too much TV?
• Is he or she having trouble managing her money? Are bills being unpaid or utilities being shut off?

By finding out the answers to these questions, it should give you a better insight into what needs to be done for your loved one’s personal safety and well being.