Holiday Gathering & Aging Family Members

With many families that have children and siblings that live out-of-state or not nearby, the holiday season is a great time of bringing families together.  It is also a nice time to check-in with aging family members and notice if they need more help in the home or moving into a senior community. Discussing senior care options with aging family members can be uncomfortable, especially initiating the conversation. It can be more difficult if our aging family members are not easy to discuss these types of conversations, especially if they get easily defensive, are strong-headed and/or in denial.

There are quite a few indicators that can help you decide if it’s time to initiate the conversation with the aging family member(s). If you notice more than one of these indicators, it would be a good time to have a family discussion. Sometimes a family meeting with the person(s) makes it more believable for them rather than initiating this discussion on your own, if applicable.

Here is a brief list of indicators that assistance is needed in the home or it’s time to move into a senior living community:

  1. Medications and/or insulin are not being taken as prescribed or refilled appropriately, they can’t recall when they took their medication, medications are being found on the floor or lying around the house.
  2. Laundry is pilling up, or there is no laundry for days. Wearing the same clothes for days and/or dirty clothes being hung back up.
  3. Their residence is not being kept up with cleanliness, odor in the home, dishes pilling up or dirty dishes being put in the cabinets/drawers, bathrooms not clean, personal hygiene not being kept up consistently, kitchen appliances not working and/or dirty, trash overflowing in house and/or trash receptacle not being picked up by a trash service, hoarding.
  4. Past-due bills, pile of unopened mail, money lying around the house, checkbook and/or credit cards not being managed correctly.
  5. Pets, if applicable, are not being cared for properly, or pets making messes in the home and owner is not able to clean up afterwards or notice.
  6. Lack of quantity of food or overflowing of unused food. Refrigerator and freezer bare or too full.
  7. Yard not being kept up with mowing and landscaping/pruning.
  8. Missing doctor appointments or any other important appointments.