Keeping Your Eye's & Ears Wide Open

Please share our blog on your favorite social media website.  Help us spread the love and support.

Things don't always appear as they seem.  As we enter this holiday season where many of us will spend time with family and friends that we may not have seen since last year, we encourage you to gift your loved ones with some focused attention.  

Click here to download our Checklist to Assess Daily Living Changes and move into the holidays with your ‘Eyes & Ears Wide Open’.

---

What to LOOK for this Holiday Season

Be aware of subtle, yet obvious changes in your loved one's emotional well-being. Make note of any signs of irrational fears or anxiety around common lifestyle or household tasks, depression that may include loss of interest in hobbies, sleep patterns, withdrawal from activities with others, lack of basic home maintenance or personal hygiene. ​

Pay attention to their surroundings. Your loved one may have always been a neat freak, or a stickler for paying bills on time and you notice unsafe clutter, an overflowing hamper, piled up mail or late notices from the utility company or bill collectors.  Yes, you desire to give them respect as an adult, but part of that may now come in the form of YOU supporting them with some run-of-the-mill activities of daily living that are no longer easy tasks for them to accomplish.  ​

---

Take note or ask about their medication management routine.  Multiple prescriptions alone can be confusing and negative outcomes can result from that confusion. For example, many medications must be taken multiple times a day while others are only once a day. Add this to the usage of multiple pharmacies and expired medications, and your loved one's health may be at risk—a risk that is even higher if multiple physicians are being used. Overdosing and under-dosing are another common result of confusion in drug management.

---

Observe the way your loved one moves, and in particular how they walk. A reluctance to walk or obvious pain during movement can be a sign of joint or muscle problems or more serious afflictions. And if unsteady on their feet, they may be at risk of falling, a serious problem that can cause severe injury or worse.  Check to see whether they are maintaining proper foot hygiene.  Medicare covers podiatry visits every 90 days (check their policy for exact coverage).

---

Weight loss is one of the obvious signs of declining health. The cause could be based on physical or emotional factors and sometimes medications. Low levels of energy will often result and cause them to no longer be capable of accomplishing some of their basic care needs. Check out what's inside of their refrigerator/freezer.  Check food expiration dates.  See whether their pantry is stocked. Ask them about their daily meal habits.

Notice how much water they consume daily. Dehydration, a serious condition for anyone, is often overlooked in the winter months. Encourage them to drink water and use the restroom frequently during the early parts of the day when they are more alert and often have more energy. This may help them to have less trips during the night.

---

Go for a car ride. If they are still driving their own vehicle, ask them to take you out to run an errand.  We suggest to a familiar local and also a non familiar locale that they have to navigate.  Do a safety check of the vehicle - inspect for dents, scratches or even inspect the area where they park the car for damage.

---

​Bring your listening ears with you. Choose to not judge, react or criticize their current lifestyle circumstances.  Take your time assessing and talking over what you see with other trusted friends or resources so you will be able to process this strange, new reality and respond appropriately, when the time is right. If you notice sudden odd behavior with your loved one, be sure to seek medical attention.  There may be other areas of concern, specific to your family member. Should this year's holiday visit open your eyes to current and potential problems or negative changes in your parent's physical or emotional state, then it's time to... put a plan of action in place.

---

Next Step Senior Care Inc.

Our services include:
Care Management - Medical and Organizational  

• Providing guidance, home management oversight, caregiver oversight, advocacy and support for the senior and his/her family
  • Family Meetings
  • Home Safety Assessments

​Placement Services - CCRC, Assisted Living and Board and Care Community Settings

• Providing families with FREE support services to verified communities that we would feel comfortable allowing our own parents to live 

​F.I.T. and PWR! Gym - Functional Integrated Training and Parkinson's Wellness Recovery sessions

• Researched based group and individual sessions that focus on helping individuals regain, maintain and continue gaining strength, stability, body awareness, flexibility, balance, coordination and the confidence to feel "Safe-At-Home" or in all life situations.​

Call on us, those who've gone before you, to support you through this next season of life.
949-573-8504

---