A friend called me today. She had been to visit her aging mom over the holidays and came back a bit concerned.There wasn't anything specific going on she told me,but her elderly mom just seemed a little off.
When I asked her to describe what she was talking about she told me that her mother seemed somewhat forgetful and asked the same questions over and over. Joann also noticed that there wasn't much food in the refrigerator even though she knew company was coming. Her mother's fridge had always been jam packed with all her children's favorites when they came to visit.
There was a large pile of mail in the corner and when she went through it there were a few bills that needed to be paid.
Now is the time to get some help, I urged her.
If you are thinking there may be a problem chances are there is a problem and it may be even bigger than you think. If you are not in the middle of a full blown crisis then it is probably time to start small.
Need help? I offer a planning a strategy session over the phone or Skype to help you figure out what needs to happen. Contact Kathryn to schedule a session.
When I asked her to describe what she was talking about she told me that her mother seemed somewhat forgetful and asked the same questions over and over. Joann also noticed that there wasn't much food in the refrigerator even though she knew company was coming. Her mother's fridge had always been jam packed with all her children's favorites when they came to visit.
There was a large pile of mail in the corner and when she went through it there were a few bills that needed to be paid.
Now is the time to get some help, I urged her.
If you are thinking there may be a problem chances are there is a problem and it may be even bigger than you think. If you are not in the middle of a full blown crisis then it is probably time to start small.
- Start my hiring a home care company to come in 2 or 3 times a week for a few hours. If your parent is resistant to bringing in someone to help read my blog in November titled Mom Is Resistant to Home Care
- Make sure you have all of the necessary papers in order. Power of Attorney, Medical directives, etc. If you are not sure what you need contact an Elder Care Attorney. This is critical. You do not want to be caught in the middle of a crisis without the proper documents in order.
- Ask the neighbors if they have noticed anything unusual. Be prepared. You might be shocked at what they tell you.
- Consider taking over the financials. Many a senior has be duped by scam artists ready to take their money. Let your parent have one credit card to use for purchases but make sure you can and do monitor the activity.
Need help? I offer a planning a strategy session over the phone or Skype to help you figure out what needs to happen. Contact Kathryn to schedule a session.
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