Elder Care
When is Elder Care Necessary?
Elder care is not always an absolute; in fact, some senior citizens never require any type of care to live independently in their later years. However, elder care often becomes an issue when a loved one begins experiencing difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs), both safely and independently. ADLs may include cooking, cleaning, shopping, dressing, bathing, driving, taking meds, etc.
A general decline in health is often the impetus for the introduction of elder care, as it may indicate a waning ability to independently handle activities of daily living. For example, senility, which usually comes on at a gradual pace, may mean that a person who once remembered to take medication on time is now having difficulty doing so. Failing eyesight may mean your loved one is gradually losing the ability to move safely about the house, or advanced arthritis may mean he or she is having difficulty getting in and out of the bathtub without assistance.
