20 Signs Your Parent Might Need Home Care

For most people, knowing when it’s time to think about hiring home care for an aging parent is a painful thought. In most cases, our parents age slowly, going from the joyful, attentive caregivers we’ve enjoyed all our lives to distracted, forgetful people we don’t fully understand.
Maybe you’ve noticed that your mom has begun to tell you the same stories over and over again, or that your dad frequently leaves the stove on. Maybe you have a parent who’s started to get lost, or who is having a hard time dressing, eating, or cooking on their own.

Whatever the case may be, watching your parents age can be difficult, and worrying about their care be gut-wrenching. Unfortunately, it’s critical to face these realities to ensure that your parent is getting the care he or she needs to age gracefully, with dignity, and with support, and recognizing the signs that indicate your parent needs in-home care is the first step.

20 Reliable Signs That Your Parent Needs In-Home Care

No matter how old your parent may be, or whether he or she has been ill up until this point, these 20 signs are a sure-fire indicator that the time to hire in-home care has arrived.

1. Your Parent Has Begun To Miss Meetings, Appointments, And Obligations

Forgetfulness is a dangerous sign of dementia and Alzheimer’s, and parents who have started to miss important social events may be exhibiting the early signs of memory loss. Even if your parent’s memory is still sharp as a tack, missing scheduled appointments can indicate embarrassment about a difficulty or inability to get dressed, or challenges driving, navigating public transit, or walking, all of which indicate a need for additional support.

2. Difficulty Standing on His or Her Own

If you’ve noticed that your parent is having a hard time standing up out of his or her favorite chair, it’s time to hire in-home help. While this may seem like a small symptom that can be attributed to arthritis or stiff joints, it’s important to remember that, without help, your parent could easily be stuck for hours or days if they can’t get up on their own.

3. Bruising or Wounds on Your Parent’s Body

When seniors start to have trouble walking, dressing, or cleaning on their own, it tends to show up as unexplained bruises or wounds on the person’s body. Evidence of falls, slips, or accidents in the home, these unexplained injuries can be alarming to family members.

Although your parent may play them off as nothing, it’s your job to know that any parent who is being injured in his or her own home needs some level of in-home care and assistance.

4. Poor Home or Personal Hygiene

Maybe you notice that the trash hasn’t been taken out in days or that your mom’s refrigerator is full of rotting, spoiled food. Perhaps you’ve begun to notice that your father isn’t showering or shaving anymore.

While symptoms like this may seem like simple forgetfulness, it’s important to remember that rotten food in the refrigerator may indicate that your parent isn’t eating and that poor personal hygiene can put your parent at risk of infections and other unpleasant symptoms.

5. Forgetfulness

Forgetfulness can be a symptom of Alzheimer’s. When a parent starts forgetting critical things, like whether or not they’ve taken vital medication or how to turn off the stove, the condition can quickly become dangerous.

6. Confusion

Parents who get lost, frustrated, or angry are displaying confusion. An early sign of Alzheimer’s and dementia, this symptom warrants home care and additional assistance.

7. Evidence of Bathroom Accidents

Soiled pants or underwear, messed bathrooms, and an unpleasant body odor are all signs that your parent is having difficulty using the bathroom on his or her own, and needs compassionate assistance to maintain their dignity and quality of life.

8. Decline in Housekeeping

If your mom has always kept a neat home, but now the sink is piled high with dishes, and the unopened mail is spilling throughout the entryway, she’s likely having trouble managing her housework, and could use additional assistance.

9. Signs of Financial Trouble

Financial trouble is one thing that frequently befalls seniors without their friends and family noticing. If your parent has begun to bounce checks or get many late payment notices, forgetfulness may be playing a part in making the finances harder to manage.

10. Seclusion

Seclusion is a dangerous thing for seniors. In addition to increasing a senior’s risk of mortality, isolation can have a negative impact on a senior’s health and contribute to the development of dementia and cognitive decline. If your elderly parent has begun to isolate him or herself, hiring in-home help can prevent the situation from worsening.

11. Weight Loss Or Gain

Extreme and sudden weight loss or gain can be a sign that your parent is having trouble feeding him or herself, forgetting whether they’ve eaten, or eating for emotional comfort.

12. Extreme Moodiness

Severe mood swings or moodiness can be a sign that your parent is suffering from the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s or depression. Hiring an in-home caregiver can ensure that your parent has someone around to monitor the symptoms, and sound the alarm if they get worse or change drastically.

13. Car Accidents

For seniors, losing their right to drive can be a devastating occurrence. Unfortunately, many seniors continue to drive past the point where it’s medically advisable, and they put themselves and others at risk as a result. If you notice dents or scratches in your parent’s care, he or she may need additional assistance to ensure their safety and well-being.

14. Poor Medication Management

According to MdMag, most older adults in the U.S. fill between 9-13 prescriptions on an annual basis. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that these medications can become difficult or impossible to manage as age and forgetfulness set in. Fortunately, an in-home caregiver can help seniors manage their medication correctly, and ensure that they’re not duplicating doses or taking the improper amount of any given medication.

15. Depression

It’s not uncommon for seniors to suffer from depression as they age, especially when their spouse has passed away, and they’re alone. In these cases, an in-home caregiver can help by providing companionship and support.

16. Wandering

If your parent has begun to wander out of the house and get lost, in-home help is critical, both for the senior’s safety and your peace of mind.

17. Boredom

In some cases, in-home assistance can help elderly parents who are just bored and in need of more consistent companionship. In addition to performing household duties, in-home caregivers can also play games with seniors, accompany them to social events and appointments, and help them learn new things.

18. Difficulty With Mobility

It’s not uncommon for seniors to experience difficulty with mobility as they age, and an in-home caregiver can make it easier for your parent to get around and maintain his or her freedom.

19. Dangerous Behavior

If your parent has begun to exhibit dangerous behavior or suicidal tendencies, hiring in-home help can give them the support they need to be happier and more fulfilled.

20. Poor Personal Care

Personal care is critical not only for your parent’s well-being but also for their outlook and sense of self-worth. With this in mind, hiring an in-home caregiver to help your parent uphold their personal care routine can be critical. 

In-Home Care: The First Step to the Rest of Your Parent’s Life

While the decision to hire in-home care for an aging parent can be difficult, taking the first step is typically the smartest way to ensure your parent ages gracefully, with all the care, support, and assistance he or she needs to be happy and healthy throughout.

10 Creative Ways to Pay for in-Home Care

In-home care: while it’s one of the most helpful types of care available, it can also be a financial stressor. More than a few people have had the experience of waking suddenly in the middle of the night, panicked about how they’ll pay for their in-home care and what will happen if they can’t manage it.

For people who are injured, ill, or aging, and can’t manage all of the tasks of daily living on their own anymore, in-home care can be a lifesaver. In addition to taking the burden of caring for an aging loved one off friends and family members, in-home care also serves to enhance the quality of life and provide critical medical assistance in the place where a person is most comfortable – his or her home. 

If you’re starting to think about how you’ll pay for in-home care, or you’re already struggling to make ends meet, here are ten creative ideas to cover the cost. Read on.

First Things First – Is In-Home Care Expensive?

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for calculating the cost of in-home care. Prices vary widely depending on where you live, what type of care you need, and the skill level of the person you’d like to hire. According to Caring.com, home health aides made an average of $16-$29 hourly in 2011, and home healthcare costs are only rising by an average of 1.15% annually.

Depending on your level of need and your financial circumstances, in-home care may be a simple thing to afford. On the other hand, though, it may be a financial stressor, and you may be looking for ways to make it work more easily for your family.  

10 Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of In-Home Care

Regardless of what your needs may be, these ten simple tips can help you cover the cost of in-home care and get the attention you deserve.

1. Get long-term care insurance

Long-term care insurance is insurance that is designed to cover the cost of things like long-term nursing, admittance to an assisted living facility, ongoing medication, and more. While not all long-term care policies cover in-home care, some do, and it’s an avenue that’s well worth exploring. 

The only negative factor about long-term care is that most policies have a disqualifying age, after which you cannot purchase the insurance. Because of this, you must plan to purchase long-term care insurance while you’re still healthy. This will allow you to take advantage of the policy when you eventually need it to cover in-home care. 

2. Use annuities to your advantage

Annuities are one thing that few people think of to pay for in-home care, but they can be instrumental in helping make the cost more manageable. A hybrid between a personal investment account and an ongoing insurance plan, annuities represent money that a senior has invested and earns interest for. After the money has matured for a given period, the senior can begin making withdrawals.

In addition to helping seniors grow their money, annuities are designed to help cover the costs of living as a senior ages, since they pay a consistent income stream for a set number of years, or until the senior dies. 

Annuities sums aren’t viewed as assets when a senior applies for Medicaid, and the income earned from them is often enough to cover the cost of in-home care and more.

3. Apply for Medicaid and use its benefits to pay for in-home care

Medicaid is a program designed to help low-income seniors cover their health needs. While Medicaid coverage laws vary depending on the state you live in, all Medicaid plans are designed to cover in-home care for at least a short period. 

In some cases, Medicaid may even cover long-term in-home care, if the person utilizing it would otherwise be in a nursing home. 

4. Consider applying for a reverse mortgage

While few people know this, reverse mortgages were developed to help seniors stay at home for as long as possible. Here’s how a reverse mortgage works: once a senior has paid a significant amount of equity into his or her home, he or she can start taking some of that equity out, in the form of lump-sum or ongoing payments. 

While reverse mortgages can be ideal for some seniors, they do have parameters that can rule some people out. Here’s what they require:

  • The senior must be 62 or older
  • The senior must own his or her home, either free-and-clear or with little money left on the loan
  • The bank that issues the reverse mortgage appraises the home and determines payment values based on a loved one’s age and payout requirements

5. Look into using veteran’s benefits

If you were an armed forces members, you might be able to use military benefits to cover the cost of your in-home care. The only downside of this approach is that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is notoriously difficult to navigate, and you may find yourself working very hard to get the benefits you’re owed. While you’ll have to contact a representative to understand your individual eligibility, here are the policyholder parameters for veteran’s benefits:

  • You must have served at least 90 days of active duty
  • One of those days must have been during wartime
  • You must have been honorably discharged

If you meet these requirements, you may be eligible to receive disability payments that can help you cover the cost of your in-home care.

6. Look over your life insurance policy

If you have life insurance, you may find that it can be used to cover your in-home care. If you don’t have dependents that will rely on the life insurance, consider dipping into your policy and using “accelerated” benefits to cover the cost of your in-home care. 

Accelerated benefits are features of certain life insurance policies that allow the policy holder to take advantage of the insurance benefits within their policy before death. Ideal for paying for in-home care, these benefits are typically reserved only for those who need ongoing in-home care or have been disabled by chronic conditions. 

If you have a life insurance policy and no dependents relying on it, consider this option. As a rule, insurance policies will allow holders to pull out between 25%-100% of their death benefit as an accelerated benefit.

7. See if Medicare is right for you

While it’s tough to get Medicare coverage to provide for your in-home care, it is possible, and it’s worth evaluating. Medicare is issued when a person leaves a hospital or long-term-care facility. In some cases, those benefits can extend to covering the cost of in-home care as a form of rehabilitative therapy. 

Keep in mind, though, that these benefits can be limited and may not be right for everyone.

8. Pool resources within the family to cover the cost of in-home care

If none of the above options appeal to you, you can consider pooling resources within your family. Things like collective sibling agreements and personal savings can go a long way toward covering the cost of in-home care and are some of the most common options people take when considering how to offset the expense.  

9. Develop an in-home care savings fund

Many people have savings funds for medical emergencies, vacations, and more, so why not establish one to cover the cost of in-home care. While this takes some planning and dedication, it can be a straightforward and stress-free way to cover the cost of in-home care down the line.

10. Sell off assets

For some seniors who don’t have dependents or people relying on inheriting assets, selling assets can be a functional way to get the extra funds required to cover the cost of in-home care. Of course, this approach depends entirely on the senior’s unique circumstances, and won’t be right for everyone. 

The Case for In-Home Care

For seniors who can no longer care for themselves alone, in-home care can be a wonderful way to enhance quality of life and ensure safety and happiness for years to come. It can be expensive, though, and these ten tips can help offset the cost and make it easier for you and your family members to cover the expenses associated with in-home care. 

Knowing When it’s Time to Ask for Help in Home Care

Whether a person is elderly or disabled, it can be difficult to know when to ask for help. Societally, we are taught that asking for help is a sign of weakness and a cause for embarrassment. Unfortunately, nothing could be further than the truth. If one of your friends or loved one is facing difficulty due to age or disability, certain telltale signs can help indicate when it is time to hire in-home help.

General Signs that It’s Time to Ask for Help

When an elderly or disabled friend or loved one needs help, the signs may manifest in a variety of ways. Some signs are clearly big-picture issues that will be obvious to friends and family, regardless of distance or relationship. Keep an eye out for the following:

Close Calls or New Difficulties

If your elderly or disabled loved one has been living alone, it’s likely that they have been relatively self-sufficient for some time. However, if your loved one has recently begun having new difficulties or suffering from close calls, like falls, medical scares or even car accidents, it’s likely that it is time to ask for help.

When an elderly or disabled person lives alone, these close calls are more likely to happen again and again and, when they do, it is wise to employ a trusted caretaker in order to ensure that somebody is there to respond to falls or other accidents.

Chronic Health Conditions or Worsening Health

Progressive issues like dementia, congestive heart failure and COPD can result in marked, rapid decline a loved one. Generally, the presence of these issues means that it is time to ask for help from a qualified caregiver or to move the person to an assisted living facility.

Difficulty Recovering

In elderly or disabled people, common illnesses like colds or the flu can produce serious health issues. If an elderly or disabled loved on has recently suffered from a common illness but is having a difficult time recovering, consider asking for help. This is especially true if your loved one was unable  or unwilling to get the help he or she needed during the time of the illness, which resulted in the illness becoming much more serious.

Difficulty With Activities of Daily Living

The activities of daily living (ADL’s) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL’s) are the skills an adult needs to live independently – without the care of a relative or caregiver. These skills include dressing oneself, cooking, driving, shopping, using the bathroom, bathing, doing laundry, taking medications and cleaning.

Unfortunately, age or disability often rob people of these abilities and make it increasingly difficult for them to live alone. Fortunately, if a loved one is having difficulty with ADL’s or IADL’S, bringing in-home help into the equation can often restore some independence and help the person live a better life.

Social Signs That It’s Time to Ask for Help

Often, when an elderly or disabled person is beginning to decline, it will become obvious through their social interactions, or lack thereof.  In order to determine if your friend or loved one needs help, keep an eye out for these important social waning signs:

Lack of Friendships

Age and disability make it easy to become reclusive and a person who no longer keeps close companions or pursues friendships may very well be declining. Generally, lack of active friendships is a sign of depressive symptoms and may indicate that it is time to secure in-home help or a change of scenery for your friend or loved one.

Refusal to Leave the Home

When an elderly or disabled person is afraid to drive and unwilling to take public transportation alone, they often begin to go days on end without leaving their home. Often, these individuals benefit from hiring in-home help, which may help them regain their mobility and resume regular outings.

No Activities or Interests

If your friend or loved one has abandoned activities and interests, it is time to call for help. Isolation is generally related to depressive symptoms and acting quickly is the best way to prevent your loved one from becoming further depressed and isolated.

Physical Signs That it’s Time to ask for Help

An elderly or disabled person who is declining will exhibit noticeable physical signs that indicate in-home help is needed. Any of the following signs warrant a call for assistance:

Weight Loss

If your friend or loved one feels thinner or looks like he or she is swimming in their clothing, there’s a good chance that something is wrong. Physical conditions ranging from tumors to depression can cause weight loss, as can declining motor skills that may result in a loss of cooking or shopping ability.

Additionally, some elderly or disabled people may be forgetting how to cook or eat. In these cases, it is wise to ensure there is food in the house and spend some time watching the person prepare a meal for him or herself. In any event, drastic weight loss is a valid reason to call an in-home caregiver.

Weight Gain

Like weight loss, sudden and drastic weight gain can indicate serious health issues like diabetes. Additionally, weight gain may indicate that a person is having financial troubles and subsisting on cheap, processed foods rather than healthy fare. Watch meal prep and call for help if you notice that the person is forgetting having eaten or binge eating all day long.

Frailty

If you notice that your friend or loved one is having difficulty completing simple tasks like removing shoes, opening drawers, sweeping or getting out of a chair, it is time to call for help. As people age, they generally become frailer, which may lead to difficulty completing everyday activities.

Disheveled Appearance

It is generally possible to tell a great deal from a person’s appearance. If you notice that your typically well-kept loved one is wearing stained, sloppy or torn clothing or that hair and makeup are noticeably different or disarranged, consider asking for help. These signs typically indicate that the person has lost strength, dexterity or memory and are a valid reason to call for in-home help. Elderly or disabled people often need help dressing, shaving and fixing their hair and an in-home caregiver can help them meet those needs.

The Case for In-Home Help

Realizing that a friend or loved one needs help is never an easy experience. Watching a person decline is difficult and it is made worse by the fact that they often need help we are simply incapable of giving. In these cases, the most important thing you can do is notice signs that indicate physical or mental deficiencies and take it upon yourself to secure help for your friend or loved one.

Often, elderly or disabled people are embarrassed to ask for help and see it as a sign that they are becoming infantile or incapable. Assure the person that this is not true, that there is nothing to be embarrassed about and that extra help can help them preserve the quality of their life rather than subtracting from it. Although it can be difficult, asking for help is never anything to be embarrassed about and in-home caregiving can often preserve, extend and boost a person’s quality of life for many years.