In-Home Care Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet: Signs Your Loved One May Need Help
Have you noticed a change in Mum or Dad recently? Little things starting to add up? It may be time to consider options like in-home care.
The Signs That Your Loved One May Need Help From In-Home Care (Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet Edition)
While it’s perfectly normal to experience one or two things that you can write off as an ‘off day’ or ‘nothing to worry about’ if Mum or Dad are experiencing more frequent challenges like keeping up with bills or social withdrawal, it could be time to have a conversation about in-home care.
Here are the critical signs that your loved one may need home help.
1. Difficulty with daily tasks
Are they struggling with basic daily tasks like personal hygiene, cooking or household chores? This could be a sign that they need assistance. In-home care can be a great source of support for essential and daily tasks.
2. Difficulty getting around
Are they struggling to move about the home easily? Are they putting off going out? Or do they have unexplained knocks and bruises? This could also be a sign they need mobility assistance. While mobility aids are incredibly beneficial, they may need further support from a care professional. With in-home care at Home Instead, you’ll get personalised home care that focuses on supporting mobility and independence.
[Here’s our guide on avoiding falls in the home, which will also be helpful here.]
It is essential to note that in this specific situation, if your loved one is taking medication that can cause bruising, it is vital to involve your GP. Just to check, everything is as it should be.
3. Forgetfulness and confusion
Is Mum or Dad struggling to remember important things, such as bills, medication, or appointments? Are they struggling to keep up with the conversation? Do they make fresh cups of tea, leaving many half-finished cups around the house? Do they have a pile of unopened mail? It may be time to consider in-home help.
It may also be a sign of early dementia. Here’s how home care can support those with dementia.
4. Changes in appetite or weight
Is Mum or Dad experiencing sudden or sustained weight loss or loss of appetite? Whilst we encourage you to seek advice from your GP first and foremost, it may also be a sign that they are struggling to prepare balanced meals for themselves. Again, this is where in-home care services can help.
5. Overall decline in well-being
Are you noticing a steady decline in their physical or mental health? Decreased energy, changes in mood, a negative outlook, and a general decline in well-being can manifest in various ways. Home care or live-in care can be beneficial in providing companionship and enhancing quality of life, as well as in offering services to support physical activities and exercise. At Home Instead Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet, we also encourage mental stimulation and community activity. We have found this particularly beneficial for improving a client’s mental state.
What to Do if You Recognise a Need for In-Home Care?
Once you are confident that Mum or Dad needs extra support, it’s time to start having the crucial conversations; what does care look like, and what services do you need.
For many, in-home care is a great place to start because it can offer minimal support, which can be increased over time. For example, many of our clients start with our companionship service before progressing to personal care. Much later, they may decide to opt for a more detailed service for situations where conditions like dementia occur.
But how do you have that initial conversation? It’s hard, right?! How do you bring up the subject without upsetting Mum or Dad or have them brush it off?
In-Home Care: How to Start The Care Conversation
The key to having a stress-free and engaged chat where everyone feels heard is understanding how to approach it and what to consider. It’s also about considering the positives that receiving support, like in-home care, can bring.
Here are our three tips for starting the conversation off on the right foot.
1. Pick your moment: Mum and Dad may have strong feelings about ‘care’ and what they think receiving care looks like. The truth is that things have changed. Receiving care doesn’t necessarily mean being placed in a care home. It can be a combination of services that work with them in their home, like home care from Home Instead. Picking how and when you have your initial conversation about care will help you both have an open and honest discussion about what’s on offer (or how to find out). If we were to recommend a ‘best’ moment to have that conversation. It’s probably part of a discussion about the differences you have noticed and how Mum and Dad feel about what they are facing.
2. Ensure you are being inclusive: Give Mum and Dad the option of choice in the research and decision-making process. Often, the most difficult part of the challenges we face is accepting them and accepting we can’t control them. The lack of control we feel in those moments can have a profound impact on how we react to sensitive subjects, such as receiving care.
3. Focus on in-home care as an assistance to living independently: One of the biggest fears we have when we get older is losing our independence. In-home care fosters independence through its supportive nature. Leading your conversation with that stance opens the room to a more positive spin on the situation.
And if you need more help (which is quite alright if you do), read our comprehensive guide to the care conversation here.
So, What In-Home Care is Available in Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet?
At Home Instead Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet, we provide a complete service for those needing in-home care. And we partner with services you may require for items such as mobility aids. Here’s what’s available locally:
- Home Care by Home Instead includes personal care, home and housekeeping, meal preparation, medication management, day or night care, companionship, and respite care as caregiver support.
- Live-in Care is available on a part-time or full-time basis for individuals with varying levels of dependence.
- Specialist Care covers short-term challenges, like returning from hospital or long-term conditions, like dementia, Parkinson’s and cancer.
- Wheelchair loans, stairlifts, and other equipment, including personal alarms, are available from companies such as TGA Mobility and Hampshire Equipment Services or through equipment loans offered by charities like the British Red Cross.
In-Home Care Made Easy by Home Instead
Working with us is easy. In fact, it’s a 3 step process.
Step 1 – Call us on 01252 758 716, and we will talk you through how our in-home care works.
Step 2 – Arrange a complimentary home visit to meet us and learn more about how we can tailor our service offer to meet your specific needs.
Step 3 – Sign up and meet your team in a pre-service home visit.
Time to explore your in-home care options? Contact our team today on 01252 758 716.
