Signs an Older Loved One’s Memory Loss May Be Serious

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Symptoms an Older Loved One’s Memory Loss May Be Serious in Edmonton, AB

As adults age, their memories often decrease, making it difficult to recall certain people, places, events, and situations. Memory problems also affect conversations, movements, and other actions. However, the changes are typically subtle and slowly increase over time, which is why they often go unnoticed by elderly people and their caregivers. Below are some of the things you can look for to determine if your senior loved one’s memory issues are serious.

Misplacing Items Frequently

It’s common for people to occasionally forget where they placed items such as remote controls or keys, but if your loved one does this frequently, he or she could be developing mild cognitive impairment. With this condition, your loved one has more significant memory problems than other seniors his or her age. Over time, it may progress from misplacing an item to affecting the ability to remember necessary appointments, find essential things like medication, or carry on regular conversations with family and friends. Your parent will need to visit the doctor, who will analyze the changes you’ve tracked, run additional tests, and develop a treatment plan.

Repetitiveness

Asking the same question repeatedly isn’t a normal part of aging. It could be a warning sign your loved one’s memory is rapidly decreasing. If you notice your parent has difficulty remembering a conversation he or she had that morning but can recollect times from childhood, he or she could be experiencing short-term memory issues. Seek medical help immediately to allow a physician to determine what’s causing the cognitive problems. The doctor can offer suggestions about daily life for your parent, including which activities can enhance his or her memory and which tasks he or she needs to avoid doing without help from you or other caregivers.

Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of home care. Edmonton families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. 

Unexplained Marks

Bumping into furniture isn’t a typical everyday occurrence, nor is hitting trash cans when backing out of the driveway or driving over flower beds by the curb. If your loved one experiences these kinds of issues, you may notice unexplained bumps and bruises on his or her body or marks on his or her car. Monitor how your loved one navigates around the home and how he or she operates a vehicle. If your parent is living with severe memory issues, he or she may forget where objects are, causing him or her to bump or drive into them. Move furniture around the home to make rooms less crowded, and speak with your parent’s doctor about whether your loved one should stop driving.

Seniors can face a variety of challenges as they age, many of which can be mitigated with the help of professional in-home caregivers who provide high-quality elderly home care. Trust Home Care Assistance to help your elderly loved one age in place safely and comfortably.

Getting Lost

This is one of the top signs your loved one’s memory problems are worsening. Without immediate attention to the issue, your parent could get stranded in dangerous areas and put him or herself in life-threatening situations. Forgetting where a local grocery store is located or not remembering his or her phone number or address aren’t simple memory problems. If memory problems such as frequently getting lost arise, get your loved one an identification bracelet, and make sure he or she isn’t left alone. 

Seniors living with age-related cognitive decline can age in place safely and comfortably with the help of professional caregivers. Recovering from a stroke, managing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and a variety of other health-related situations can make it difficult for a senior to continue living at home without someone there to help. Edmonton, AB, live-in care professionals are trained to help seniors who need 24/7 assistance. With the help of a live-in caregiver, your elderly loved one can maintain a higher quality of life while aging in place. Home Care Assistance can be your trusted partner in caregiving for your aging loved one. Contact one of our experienced Care Managers today at (780) 490-7337 to learn more about our reliable in-home care services. 

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