Signs Your Parent Needs Help at Home

Changes in meals, household routines or personal care can be reasons to ask whether a parent needs support. These observations are not a diagnosis. New or sudden changes should also be discussed with a medical professional.

Around the house

• Spoiled food in the fridge, or almost no food at all
• Laundry and dishes piling up in a home that was always tidy
• Unopened mail, late notices, or unusual spending
• Scorched pans, or a stove left on

In how they look and move

• Weight loss, or wearing the same clothes several days running
• Bruises they can't explain, or furniture-walking for balance
• Trouble getting out of a chair or in and out of the shower
• New difficulty managing medications, or pills left in the organizer

In mood and memory

• Withdrawing from friends, clubs or church
• Repeating stories or questions within one conversation
• Missed appointments, or getting lost on a familiar drive
• Anger or anxiety that is out of character

In you

Consider your workload too. If helping every evening is affecting your sleep or other responsibilities, discuss which tasks could be shared. A specific period of support may be worth exploring, but the arrangement needs to fit your parent’s needs.

How to start the conversation

1. 1Pick a calm moment, rather than immediately after an incident.
2. 2Ask which routines your parent wants to keep and where some help would be welcome.
3. 3Start small. A few hours a week for driving, meals or housekeeping is easier to accept than 'a caregiver'.
4. 4Involve them in choosing the schedule, the tasks and who comes into the house.
5. 5Let a third party do the assessing. Parents often accept from a professional what they resist from a child.

A free in-home assessment is a low-pressure way to test the water. We meet your parent at home, talk through the day, and you decide afterwards whether to start anything at all.