Richard Weatherman, founder and CEO of AdvantagePlusCaregivers.com, provides seven signs family members can look out for when determining whether their loved one may need home care.

1) Eating: “Watch for difficulty in eating or consuming nourishment,” Weatherman stresses, in a media release.

2) Dressing. This includes putting on and taking off all necessary items of clothing, including medically necessary braces or artificial limbs.

3) Bathing. Washing oneself on a routine basis in the tub, shower, or by sponge bath is among the clues.

4) Toileting. “Is your loved one having difficulty getting to and from the toilet, getting on and off the toilet, and maintaining a reasonable level of associated personal hygiene?” Weatherman asks.

5) Ambulating. A loved one who experiences difficulty in walking with or without the assistance of a mechanical device, such as a wheelchair, braces, a walker, a cane, or other walking aid device, may be a candidate for home care.

6) Transferring. The ability to move in and out of a bed, chair, wheelchair, with or without the use of equipment such as a cane, walker, crutches, grab bars or other support devices is also a determination for home care.

7) Continence. “Monitor the ability to voluntarily control bowel or bladder function or, in the event of the inability to voluntarily control bowel or bladder functions (ie, incontinence), the ability to maintain a reasonable level of associated personal hygiene, with or without the use of medical supplies, equipment, or devices such as protective undergarments or catheters,” Weatherman shares.

A patient with fractures requiring therapy or someone experiencing repeated hospitalizations or prolonged hospital stays is also a prime candidate,” he continues in the release.

In addition, he says, “Someone who is facing the latter stages of an incurable illness or with limited mobility who needs assistance with the activities of daily living, such as bathing, personal care, housekeeping, or grocery shopping, might also need home care.”

For more information, visit AdvantagePlusCaregivers.com.

[Source(s): AdvantagePlusCaregivers.com, PRWeb]