The day Cialis Professional will likely come when you will be called to care for one of your family members. The aid you provide will, at first, be insignificant. Eventually, changes will come that will require you to be more hands-on. When that day comes, will you be prepared? If you are like most people, the answer to that question is almost certainly “No”.

In this series of articles, we will explore different approaches to providing care for an aging relative as well as the rewards and challenges that each bring.

How do you quantify the need for assistance?

Often the changes in one’s well-being can be so gradual and subtle that it’s like watching the grass grow. Doctors and other professionals use a term called “ADLs” that translates to “Activities of Daily Living”. These are the things that we do for ourselves every day. Our ability to perform functions such as eating, dressing, getting propecia in and out of bed are all practical measures of our ability to live independently. As we age or suffer from injury or disease, our ability to perform these functions on our own may be impacted. So one way to measure someone’s need for assistance is to make note of which of these they are experiencing difficulty with and to what degree. When one or more of these can no longer be performed on their own, it’s time for help. That’s not to say that assistance can’t be offered when many ADLs have become so difficult as to have an overall negative impact on their lives.

It’s important to remember that people can often be too proud to tell us that they need help. That’s why it’s important to keep your eyes open for clues to a family member’s functional decline. Such clues could include:

– Changes in appearance

– Changes in eating habits or food preferences

– Absence from social, family and community functions

– Aversion to bathing

These behaviors can also be indicative of other issues. In any case, if you see these clues or have other reasons to suspect that there may be a need for assistance, it may well be enough to warrant spending the weekend with Mom and Dad to see how they are doing in their home environment.

Observe your family members as they go about their ADLs. Do they do the same things they used to? Do they do those things with the ease they once did? For instance, do they heat up microwave meals rather than cooking as they used to? Ask questions to get to the root cause for their actions to help determine what has changed that has made the prepackaged meals more desirable than fresh meals.

Make note of the ADLs that show impact and the degree to which they seem to be impaired. If the degree of impairment doesn’t warrant additional help, make a commitment to come back for another weekend to spend time with your family and to observe and assess any changes.

Watch this space in coming weeks for as we discuss options for providing care including providing the care yourself, hiring others into the home and moving the family member to another location.

Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors® and the President of Monarch Senior Care, Inc., a member of The Senior’s Choice senior care network, Monarch Senior Care, located in McHenry County Illinois, provides in-home senior care services to the residents of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com

Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors® and President of Monarch Senior Care located in McHenry County Illinois and provides in-home senior care services to Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com

Author Bio: Joe Tirio is a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors® and President of Monarch Senior Care located in McHenry County Illinois and provides in-home senior care services to Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at 888 672 7060 or at Care@MonarchSeniorCare.com and at http://MonarchSeniorCare.com

Kamagra Gold />Category: Family Concerns
Keywords: Seniors, senior care, senior issues,home care,elder care,home health care,elder care,caregiver