Duxbury is a small seaboard community located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts on the South Shore approximately 35 miles south and east of Boston. According to the 2010 US Census the population was 15,060 and the area has a main zip code 02332. Many charming and historic homes from the Pilgrim and shipbuilding eras still exist here. Like anywhere else in America, the need for professional, dependable senior home care in Duxbury, Massachusetts is acute. Though the benefits of this type of elder care are obvious the warning signs that a loved one needs help are not always so.
For most of us – at least those of us lucky enough to have parents who live a long life – there will come a time when loved ones will require additional care if they plan on staying home (whether “home” is where they’ve lived for many years, a senior living community, or a room in the home of an adult child).
The truth of the matter is that while people are living longer, most face significant health challenges as they age. This is why, coupled with studies that show most people prefer to stay at home as long as possible, there has become such a huge demand for home care services.
There are two types of home care: personal and medical. For many elderly people, personal care will suffice. This is the type of care where help may include assistance with bathing and grooming; light housekeeping and laundry; shopping and cooking; transportation to doctors’ appointments; and companionship. A non medical companion or home health aide will typically be able to provide this kind of support.
Medical or skilled care, which may be needed following a serious illness, a hospital stay, or rehabilitation after an illness or injury, is provided by a health care professional. This may include such services as wound care, infusion therapy, or physical therapy.
Some family caregivers will anticipate the need for home care once they perceive a problem of any sort with an aging loved one. Others will look the other way, unable to accept that aging parents are no longer able to live alone.
Duxbury, MA Home Care Agency
So, what should one look for to indicate it may be time to consider contacting a local Duxbury, MA home care agency? Experts say that signs are recognizable and include having a loved one who:
- Start to display cognitive problems. This means more than forgetting where they left the car keys. It may be a case of getting lost in the neighborhood they’ve lived in for years, or asking the same questions over and over again.
- Show they are no longer safe being alone. Are they wobbly on their feet and in jeopardy of falling? Is the oven being left on or the front door left open with increasing regularity?
- Seem depressed or anxious. Do they seem sad, bored and generally down much of the time? Are they spending their days in front of the TV? Even elderly people should be able to be engaged and enjoy life. A home health aide can make a big difference in making one’s days more rewarding.
- Have undergone a significant change in their lives and have problems adapting to the new “normal.” This may be following the death of a spouse or a change in their health status.
- Their home has become increasingly disorganized. This is particularly evident in the case of a loved one who has always taken pride in keeping their place spotless and orderly. It may be an indication they no longer have the energy to clean or are too depressed to do much of anything.
- Have lost weight or look like they’re not regularly bathing or grooming. Losing weight or looking bedraggled is often a sign they can no longer care for themselves.
Home Care Duxbury, MA 02332
It is important to realize that most elderly people, even when struggling, are unlikely to initiate the decision to bring in a non medical companion or home health aide. Most people even if they know something is not right are hesitant to makes changes in their lives. That’s why it’s usually left up to a family caregiver not only to raise the issue of home care, but to make it happen. If you or a loved one needs home care in Duxbury, MA please call us at 1-781-430-8599.
