But between taking on this responsibility and arriving at this notion, what signs should you look for?
Wandering
When your loved one starts to wander off the moment you turn your back, it’s indicative 24-7 care is required. For those who solely shoulder caretaking responsibilities, keeping track of your loved one around the clock without assistance turns into an insurmountable task.
Aggressive and Agitated Behavior
Those living with dementia may start to show aggressive or agitated behavior, both verbal and physical. The behavior gets in the way of routines, can take a toll on your health, and may be directed at other family members, and managing it often requires professional assistance.
Your Loved One is Unsafe in His or Her Home
Even with a family member assisting with daily tasks, your loved one may no longer be safe in his or her home for a number of reasons:
- Multiple falls resulting in injuries
- Increased driving accidents
- A recent health scare
- Very slow recovery from a common illness, like a cold or flu.
- Inability to manage and keep up with daily activities, like dressing, personal care, shopping, cooking, doing laundry, paying bills, and managing medications.
- Inability to leave the house without any assistance.
- Visible neglect, such as clutter, old food in the refrigerator, a lack of cleaning, and mail that hasn’t been answered.
- Signs scammers targeted your loved one.
Your Loved One’s Needs Exceed Your Abilities
As much as you’d prefer to help your family member, there comes a point in which his or her needs exceed your abilities. For some, this could be financial, while for others, the physical and emotional demands result in disrupted sleep and eating patterns and development of PTSD-like symptoms. For others, particularly one elderly spouse taking care of another, the physical demands become too great.
Yet, even when one or more of these signs becomes apparent, going about finding assisted living turns into a daunting task. Trantolo & Trantolo, with years representing nursing home negligence cases, has listed some of the types of elder care options out there, and has provided tips about what to look for in a facility.
Even with a facility providing care, it’s recommended that you regularly check up on your loved one, to ensure his or her needs continue to be met. If you believe negligence may have occurred, turn to Trantolo & Trantolo’s experienced lawyers to discuss your claim.
