If you don’t see your parents frequently due to work or distance, you can be startled by signs of the deterioration in their mental and/or physical conditions. If the decline is especially marked or appeared overnight, they could be in the throes of a health crisis, e.g., a stroke or a raging urinary tract infection (UTI).
Even when they aren’t in an acute crisis, the elderly can still show serious signs of cognitive loss and physical disability. When this occurs, adult children should be poised to act.
Understand all the options you have
All those who have the luxury of growing old will one day face the loss of capabilities we once had. While it’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s still quite humbling to admit that you can no longer safely drive or even live on your own.
But simply because they are in their declining years doesn’t mean that they need to be shipped off to a nursing home. There are levels of care that might need to be implemented before that day comes.
Convince siblings to present united front
Elderly parents will latch onto any dissenters to try to thwart intervention plans. That’s why it’s vital to present your case first to all your siblings so they won’t oppose the changes.
Note instances of any of the following as red flags to present to adult siblings:
- Presence of spoiled food in the refrigerator or expired canned goods
- Unwashed laundry and wearing dirty clothes for days
- No longer maintaining their hygiene
- Medication mishaps or unfilled prescriptions
- Falls or incidents of getting lost in familiar surroundings
These are not the only warning signs to look out for in elderly loved ones, but they are all serious signs that something is amiss that your siblings can no longer ignore.
Accept that it may take steps
While you eventually may need to arrange for guardianship of your parents, you don’t have to make that your first choice. Simply arranging for hired caregivers to spend a few hours a day with your parents might be sufficient, at least at first.
Learning more about your options is always a good idea when convincing parents to make lifestyle changes.