There comes a time where the roles of caring in a family reverse. The adult child takes care of his or her parents by deciding if it is safe anymore for them to stay alone. Older parents mostly desire to maintain their privacy and independence while not compromising on their welfare and health. Here are some of the critical signs that an older person should cease from living alone.
Sudden weight loss
Weight loss within a short period indicates that the older individual is not eating adequately. Furthermore, a sudden reduction in weight might indicate an onset of cognitive disease. According to Lisa Gwyther, cognitive illnesses like Alzheimer’s cause memory impairment that causes the individual to forget to eat or skip certain meals. Additionally, mental impairment might result in forgetting recipes and cooking of food, culminating in weight loss.
Unhealthy hygiene routines
Patients who have Alzheimer’s or dementia have trouble remembering which may manifest as forgetting to shower each day. Furthermore, elderly individuals with dementia will find it challenging to comprehend why they maintain a healthy hygiene routine. Therefore, they might appear dirty and unkempt.
They no longer recognize common areas
The loss of recognition of common destinations such as the local bank, grocery store, and place of devotions is a crucial warning sign for the elderly. These places are easy to remember, and their failure to navigate in even their town indicates reduced cognitive ability. Therefore, one should assist the elderly by moving or bringing a helper to improve the elderly’s safety.
Changes at home
If an older person is naturally messy, finding clutter in the house should not be an alarm. However, if the older person was orderly and kept their property clean, a dirty house or room is a manifestation of a cognitive illness. Moreover, placing certain items in strange areas in the house is a sign of dementia. These are clear signs of Alzheimer’s and an indicator that older adults can no longer stay alone and be safe.
Drastic shift in internet habits
One should watch for any alarm of strange or odd behaviors of internet aware parents since it might be an indicator of Alzheimer’s. According to Gwyther, the elderly suffering from cognitive diseases are highly susceptible to taking loans, ordering unnecessary things online, and befriending dangerous individuals on social media platforms. Furthermore, cognitive illnesses make it challenging to distinguish a friend from a foe.
Collection of new drugs
One of the alarming signs of cognitive impairment is a cabinet full of new and unnecessary medication. Elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and other cognitive illnesses might misuse or overdose on over-the-counter drugs when self-medicating foe undiagnosed conditions. Gwyther states that it is essential to monitor and ensure elderly parents take prescribed medicine per physician’s instruction. Finding drugs untouched medications means that the parent forgot to take the medication.
