Firma tu edad querida que necesita ayuda

Amir Tariq, PD-PTA, Director of Rehab at St. Dominic Village in Houston, Texas, provides guidance below on how to spot the signs and how to attain the right help for your loved one.

1. Look for signs of cognitive decline (loss of memory and thinking skills), such as forgetting to lock their front door, take their medication, pay their bills or turn off their stove, or being unable to execute formerly familiar tasks like cooking.
2. Watch for a lack of appetite, which may be due to difficulty swallowing.
3. Observe physical stability. A lack of balance or mobility, or a history of recent falls, may indicate that your loved one needs medical or therapeutic intervention.
4. Look out for diminishing vision.
5. Be mindful of continence issues.
6. Be cognizant of social dynamics. Does your loved one spend a lot of time alone? Do they seem lonely? Are they isolated? If something happened to them, how quickly would someone notice and respond?
7. Watch for safety hazards in the home. Low lighting, clutter, rugs/mats, loose electrical cords and dark flooring and furniture may be dismissed as part of a normal home environment, but these hazards should be modified to create safer pathways for someone who is aging, especially if you have already begun to notice some of the issues in points 1 through 6.
8. Think about preemptively installing safety equipment, such as grab bars and tub benches. Some elderly people might also benefit from assistive devices for certain household activities; this can be identified through a therapy evaluation.
9. If your parents start to show signs of needing assistance, be sure to research their care options early on; this will allow you to approach the change slowly and methodically rather than being forced to make a quick and less informed decision.

“We educate caregivers and families on how to deal with their current situation, what they should expect next, and their future options, for now or at a later date,” says Tariq. “We strive to be a great resource for help.”

For more information, visit the website at stdominicvillage.org.