Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses
Recognizing long-term care needs is the first step to receiving necessary supports. Understanding the signs that supports are needed can help determine when long-term care could benefit your loved one.
The following questions can help identify if your loved one is at risk and could benefit from receiving long-term care supports.
Activities of Daily Life
Have you noticed a change in your loved one’s hygiene? How about in their appetite? Do they have unexplained bruises or scratches? These may be signs that they are struggling with activities of daily life. Activities of daily life include bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, transferring from bed/chair, eating, and caring for incontinence. If your loved one is struggling with any of these activities of daily life, long-term care may greatly increase their health and quality of life.
Everyday Tasks
Have you noticed your loved one’s home is unusually messy? Is the lawn unkempt when it is generally pristine? Is the kitchen lacking meals with nutritional value? These may be signs that your loved one is struggling with everyday tasks. Some of these tasks include housework, taking medication, preparing meals, shopping, caring for pets, and using the telephone or other technology. If your loved one is struggling with any of these or other common tasks, caregivers can be hired to visit regularly and provide assistance.
Disability
Does your loved one have a chronic illness that causes disability? Whether their disability is all-encompassing or only impairs their ability to perform certain tasks, long-term care can provide all the services and supports they require.
Age
Does your aging parent need help around the house? Are they growing more forgetful every year? As loved ones grow older it is natural for them to need more help around the home and to become forgetful. Forgetfulness can lead to your parent missing appointments, paying bills late, and not taking their medications. It often falls on the adult children of elderly parents to provide assistance, but long-term caregivers can help to relieve your stress while providing care for your parent.
Accidents
Has your loved one had a debilitating fall or other accident? These accidents can limit the mobility and ability of your loved one to complete certain everyday tasks. Individuals suffering from these accident-related issues can often benefit from the assistance of long-term care.
Living Situation
Does your loved one live alone? Is their home full of potential dangers to their safety? Individuals who live alone are more likely to need long-term care, as there is no one in the home to offer regular assistance. In-home caregivers can check in on your loved one on a regular basis to ensure they are okay and provide any supports they may require. Their home should also be checked for potential dangers in order to ensure their safety.
Medical
Does your loved one require regular medical attention in addition to help with basic personal tasks? If this is the case, long-term care from a nurse may be a necessary addition to their care routine. A home care nurse can go directly to your loved one’s home to provide medical care, eliminating the need for regular travel to an office while ensuring they get the attention they require.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it may be time to consider long-term care for your loved one. Recognizing long-term care needs is the first step to increasing your loved one’s safety and enhancing their quality of life.
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