As an adult child, the holiday season is a wonderful time to spend quality time with your elderly parent and enjoy traditions, make memories, and treasure your relationship.
As a family caregiver, this is an opportunity for you to ensure your senior is getting the care they need and to detect changes in their health and well-being that may indicate they are suffering from issues and challenges such as dementia.
Home Care Services in Newport Beach CA: Holidays and Dementia
While you are visiting your elderly parent for the holiday season, pay close attention to their behaviors and surroundings to detect changes that could mean they are struggling with cognitive functioning decline. This can allow you to get your parent the medical care they need and also to make meaningful modifications to their care to improve their health, safety, and well-being as they age in place.
Some things to look out for during the holiday season that that could indicate dementia in your senior include:
-Their home is not decorated the way it always is for the holiday season. This could mean they are not physically capable of handling the decorating, but if this is not an issue they mention, it could mean they didn’t remember how or why to decorate.
-Their home is decorated for a different season. Your parent might know there is a holiday coming, but might get confused and decorate for a different occasion.
-They are surprised to see you. Short-term memory changes are a common early sign of dementia, so if your parent is surprised when you arrive after a recent change of plans, it could be an indication of an issue with their cognitive functioning.
-They don’t want to participate in activities. If your parent has always enjoyed celebrating the holidays but now seems withdrawn or like they don’t care about what’s going on, they could be dealing with apathy. This is a loss of emotion or interest and could be an indication of early dementia.
-They don’t remember their favorite carols. Pay attention when singing carols, reciting stories or doing other familiar traditions your family treasures. If your parent can’t seem to find the words or doesn’t remember these traditions, it might be a sign of something more serious.
The holiday season should be a joyful time for you and your elderly loved one.
If you are worried about your ability to manage their care needs during this time, however, you may feel stress, anxiety, and even worry that you will not be able to participate in the holidays like you usually do.
This isn’t the case. Senior care can be there for you and for your aging loved one to make this holiday season as wonderful as possible. The highly personalized services of a senior home care services provider are specifically designed to match your elderly loved one’s needs and challenges. This means they will get what they need when they need it, and you can feel confident managing other responsibilities in your life, focusing on your personal relationship with your parent, and simply enjoying the season.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Newport Beach, CA, please contact the caring staff at Canaan Home Care today!
1-844-CANAAN-1 (1-844-226-2261)
Source
Healthline.com
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