Seniors With Memory Issues: Questions to Consider

Home Care in North Raleigh, NC

A referred non-medical caregiver for a senior with memory issues can make a dramatic impact on their quality of life. They can allow your aging loved ones to age in place in the surroundings that they love while staying safe, healthy, and comfortable. As with any other decision you make regarding their care, what type of care you choose for your elderly loved ones can make a major difference in the benefit they get from their care.

If you are considering referred caregivers for aging loved ones with memory issues, ask yourself these questions to help you determine what type of care your parents need, what you are looking for in their potential referred caregiver, and if prospective referred caregivers are right for your needs:

• Do your parents have any mobility limitations?
• Do your parents use any type of mobility aid such as walkers, wheelchairs, or canes?
• Do your parents need help with tasks such as getting in and out of bed, or transferring into chairs or cars?
• Do your parents show any type of aggressive behavior such as lashing out, biting, hitting, yelling, or using inappropriate language?
• Do your parents wander, seek out exits in buildings, or try to escape through windows or other inappropriate places?
• Do your parents have any form of eating challenges such as diminished appetite, difficulty chewing, difficulty swallowing, confusion regarding eating and drinking, anxiety related to certain foods, or fixations on particular foods?
• Do your parents have any toileting challenges, including urinary or fecal incontinence, problems getting onto or off of the toilet, or personal cleansing problems?
• Do you feel that your parents require care and assistance 24 hours a day, or do they only need help for a few hours at a time?
• Do your parents have an extensive medication regiment that will require reminders throughout the day?
• How much care are you going to be able to provide personally, and are there specific tasks or challenges that you do not feel prepared to handle on your own, such as bathing, toileting assistance, or medication reminders?
• What are your specific concerns regarding your parents’ cognitive decline and how it impacts their personal daily functioning and ability to care for themselves?
• What types of activities and services would you want the non-medical referred caregiver to offer on a regular basis for your aging parents?

The articles posted on this blog are provided for general information and discussion purposes only.  These articles are not intended to suggest anything with respect to the operations or services of this office.