Noticing Changes in Elderly Family Members
The holiday season is a time to connect or reconnect with family. We might visit with parents or other family members that we haven’t seen in some time and that’s when changes in their health become more noticeable such as:
- Weight loss
- Deterioration in personal hygiene
- Unusually dirty or messy home
- Unusually loud or quiet, paranoid or agitated behavior
- Local friends and relatives noticing changes in behavior
- Self-imposed isolation, stops attending activities
- Signs of forgetfulness such as unopened mail, piling newspapers, missed appointments, unfilled prescriptions
- Signs of poorly managed finances, such as not paying bills, losing money, paying bills twice
- Unusual purchases
Then once the new year begins we go back to our daily routines. But, what can or should you do if you see any of these changes? There’s a lot actually that you can do. Next week we’ll go over some of the options available to you.