As a professional caregiver, you might wonder – or even be asked by the patient’s family – whether it is time to explore long-term care as an option. Although most elders will not need to access long-term care in a facility, there are some signs that you might find helpful if your client needs additional assistance.

Once identified, you might speak to your client and the family about which long-term care facilities are best. You will want to encourage them to stay away from facilities that have been the subject of focused nursing home abuse attorneys. The following are four signs that might suggest that your client should consider long-term care in a formal setting.

An Increase in Falls or Physical Injuries

Balance can be a problem for some elders. Living alone and independently can become increasingly difficult, and for some tasks like cleaning the house or cooking a healthy meal can become problematic. Stairs, an uneven floor, or yard can also be difficult to navigate.

If the person you are caring for has an increase in falls thinks they, might it be cause for concern. Injuries due to falls, might further support the need to consider a nursing home as a safety precaution. Although your client might find it hard to leave their home, he or she might find that it is safer, and in the long run, feel more at ease if they are being cared for by professionals.

More Phone Calls from your Client

Are phone calls from your client increasing when you are away? Is your client worried about being at home on their own? Or is he or she confused and unsure where they are or what to do next? Maybe it is not phone calls to you; perhaps it is their family who is experiencing this, and they have told you about it. Either way, increased phone calls and a confused or scared person making those phone calls is not a good thing. It means the older person is not coping well at home. They may even be developing symptoms of some illness.

In this situation, a long-term care facility might be an ideal solution. Not only can your client’s condition be managed, but they will always have people around them. They will not need to feel alone and vulnerable anymore.

Is Personal Hygiene Suffering?

As a carer, it is easy to spot when your patient’s personal hygiene starts to suffer. It will not be an easy thing to talk about, but it’s wise to speak to them if you notice that they haven’t bathed for a little while or if they aren’t cleaning themselves properly after using the bathroom.

It might be that they are having difficulty with bathing, and they only do it when they really must because getting in and out of the tub or standing in the shower or even at a basin is difficult or painful.

There are some ways to combat this, such as installing a walk-in bath or having someone – perhaps you – help to bathe your client, but this is not enough in all cases, and it could be that a long-term care facility will address problems with bathing. They will have the care and attention they need to be happy, healthy, and clean.

Changes In Mobility

One of the greatest benefits of living in a long-term care setting is that the staff there will be trained to assist with a variety of conditions, and they will understand how to assist someone with mobility issues. If your client cannot move around as easily as they once did, if they need to hold onto things, have a walker when they did not before, if their mobility has decreased rapidly, or if they require special care, a long-term care facility might improve safety.

A lack of mobility can mean your client cannot enjoy many aspects of life, especially if they are alone. At a care home, this would no longer be an issue. In fact, the supervision and expertise offered in long-term care might improve your client’s quality of life. As such, now might be the right time for your client to at least consider the idea.