How to Assess the Care Needs of Aging Parents

Assess your loved one before an incident occurs.

Do not allow yourself to be the person who waits until your loved one has an incident before you act. Once your loved one turns 75, you should start paying closer attention to their health. Ideally you or someone else on your care team should perform a senior care assessment on your elderly loved one at least once a week to ensure that you are providing the best solutions to the care needs of aging parents.

Record their changes in behavior.

Your loved one’s changing behaviors can indicate underlying health problems. Create weekly behavior profiles with your care team’s help so that you can better understand what is typical. Date and keep these behavior profiles so that you can trace the origin of these issues later. This worksheet will become a critical part of your senior care assessment Be sure that you indicate how their behavior makes you feel, as that can be an indicator of the severity as well.

Download our Behavior Assessment:

[maxbutton id=”4″ url=”https://www.caregogi.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Caregogi-Senior-Behavior-Assessment.pdf” text=”Behavior Profile” ]

Document their ability to perform activities.

In a similar vein, you should record your loved one’s ability to perform standard “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs). These should be recorded as frequently as the behavior profile is. This will give you a great history to show to a physician in the future. Additionally, when you record these behaviors you will naturally be compelled to be more proactive in your loved one’s care.

Download our ADL Assessment:

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Be honest about your senior care assessment.

It is important that you and your care team remain objective about the changes occurring in your loved one. Fear of the future can keep you willfully ignorant of major status changes in your loved one’s health. Allow yourself to acknowledge these feeling of fear, but do not let it paralyze you. Your senior care assessment will help you remain objective. If you suspect there is something wrong with your loved one take immediate action so that their ailment can be treated if possible. This is an important part of the care needs of aging parents.

Have your loved one checked by their physician.

The moment that you suspect your loved one’s health is declining, take them to be assessed by their physician. Inform your physician of the behaviors that you and your care team have documented as care needs of aging parents. The more information they have, the more accurate they will be able to be in their diagnosis.

        Use your Assessment as the Cornerstone of Care

Once you have a full understanding of your loved one’s status, you will be able to develop a care plan. Determine what you can do and what you will need professional assistance with. You can utilize our guide to help you develop your very own senior care plan.

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