If you’re caring for elderly parents, you may witness dramatic changes in their behavior over time. These could be signs your aging parents need help to support them. However, it’s not easy to admit that everyday tasks aren’t as easy as they once were, so they may not ask for help directly. If at least one of your parents is a Veteran or a surviving spouse, AVCC can help them access the home care they need to maintain a good quality of life.
Warning Signs to Watch For
The signs that senior citizens need help at home fall into a few different categories. In general, you should look for changes in physical and mental functions, household management, and personal hygiene. You’ll also want to keep an eye on any service-connected injuries or disabilities your Veteran has.
There are a variety of red flags that indicate something has become an issue for the elderly. Warning signs you should look out for include:
Physical and Mental Warning Signs
- Sleeping for most of the day
- Losing track of time
- Poor diet
- Weight loss
- Extreme mood swings
- Difficulty with mobility, including walking and balance
- Confusion while performing familiar tasks
- Forgetfulness, especially with medication
- Missing important appointments
- Unexplained injuries or bruises
Household Warning Signs
- Dirty house and/or extreme clutter
- Piles of dirty laundry
- Overflowing mailbox or stacks of unopened mail
- Notices from bill collectors piling up
- Little to no fresh/healthy food in the house
- Spoiled food that isn’t thrown away
- Utilities turned off because of missed payments
Personal Hygiene Warning Signs
- Infrequent showering or bathing
- Unpleasant body odor
- Noticeable decline in grooming habits, including unkempt hair and a lack of oral care
- Strong smell of urine on clothing or in the house
How Does Veterans Home Care Help Your Parents?
If you’re a family member seeing these signs in your parents or other elderly loved ones, you may wonder what you can do to help. It may be time for your parent’s care to be home care. A Veterans’ home care provider will give your aging parents the services they need to successfully navigate their daily lives.
What does a home care provider do, exactly? They send care providers to your parents’ home to help them with daily tasks. These tasks can include bathing, grooming, dressing, meal preparation, feeding, medication reminders, and light housekeeping. Home care services ensure older adults have access to care that helps them live a good life in their later years.
How Do You Apply for a Home Care Provider?
You may not know how to apply for a home care provider, but you shouldn’t worry. AVCC will work with you and your parents to get them access to home care that will meet their elderly care needs. We help elderly Veterans access a VA pension benefit called VA Aid & Attendance, which they can use for anything they want after their medical expenses are covered. You and your parents can then use that pension benefit to pay for home care services.
AVCC also works with home care providers to connect them with Veterans in their communities who need their services. We know providers are always looking for new clientele that their home care aides can help, so we put them into with interested Veterans. We will locate the right provider to give your parents the long-term personal care they need to stay happy and healthy at home.
AVCC Helps Your Parents Access Home Care
Our team understands that nursing homes and assisted living facilities aren’t for everyone. We know you want your parents to be treated with dignity in their own home. That’s why we screen Veterans for their Aid & Attendance eligibility, oversee their application process, and work to pair them with a home care provider who will meet their needs. We know working with a government agency to access funds can be difficult, which is why we manage the process for you. Then we’ll help you start the process of searching for a home care provider.
Reach out to AVCC today to begin looking for a home care provider who can improve your parents’ quality of life and help them maintain it. Trust us to help you put your parents’ needs first and find them the right home care services for their specific situation. We help families offer quality senior living through home care services and our relationships with the providers in our network.
