Parents dedicated the majority of their life taking care of you, ensuring you get nothing but the best of everything. But, after a certain age, the roles tend to get reversed as it’s time for kids to ensure their beloved parents’ good health and well-being.
Sadly, it is easier said than done. The likelihood of you being busy with your work and not being able to provide appropriate care to your parents is quite high. It can further affect their health, especially if they need to take proper medications on time or require your assistance in managing everyday tasks.
Therefore, many kids look for caregivers, hospitals or reputed and trustworthy nursing homes. It will give you peace of mind that the caregiver is treating your parents well and helping them with their every need. However, depending solely on caregivers and nursing homes is not right either.
You can’t neglect the possibilities of poor behavior of caregivers, lack of adequate facilities, or recklessness on the part of the staff that may further affect your parents’ health and well-being. So, you must pay attention to the following signs!
- Sudden Change In Weight
Sudden changes in weight, especially weight loss is the sign of a lack of required nutrition. This is generally due to improper or unhealthy diet or elevated stress levels. Sometimes, the reasons for an unexpected change in weight could also be due to wrong medications given by the doctor or hospital staff.
Ask them if they also experience any pain or other body changes to understand the damage’s severity. It would be wise to get them checked up to understand the real cause.
- New Bruises
Look for the visible signs of bruises every time you visit your parents. As they are getting old, they might hurt themselves and not disclose it to you. It is particularly recommended if your parents are at a hospital or returning from there. The visibility of bruises could be an indication of poor behavior of hospital staff or even caregivers.
In that case, it would be wise to seek a medical malpractice attorney for their help. They can explain to you about medical malpractices and abuse leading to severe injuries (sometimes fatal) and assist you in filing a claim.
- Emotional Or Behaviour Changes
Another sign to look for is emotional or behavior changes in your parents. Do they feel depressed? Do they not look as happy as they should? Are they feeling irritated for no particular reason? If your answer to these questions is YES, do not leave them alone. Instead, you should spend more time with them to make them feel less lonely and more loved.
If there is a particular reason behind their change in emotions or behavior, spending time with them will allow you to know the cause. Thereby, you’ll be able to take appropriate action to protect them and show your love to them.
- Lack Of Grooming
If you have hired caregivers or sent your parents to a nursing home, lack of grooming could become a matter of great concern. It is their responsibility to ensure the proper hygiene of the elders. It is often the sign of depression, a person’s inability to be able to take care of themselves, or simply recklessness of the staff or caregiver.
Stating the obvious, it can lead to numerous illnesses and infections. Therefore, you must pay attention to this. If this condition is due to reckless behavior, you must hold them accountable.
- Deteriorating Health
The last but most obvious sign that your parents need your assistance is their deteriorating health. If they are not feeling good- physically, mentally, or emotionally; even if they have been admitted to the hospital or have a dedicated person for care, you must take the matter into your own hands.
Take them back to your place of residence and spend some quality time with them. Make sure they eat well, exercise a bit, and rest well. Talk to them about your day and ask them about their health frequently. If there is little to no sign of improvement, seek professional assistance as it could be due to an underlying health condition or stress.
Wrapping It All Up
Taking care of your parents remains your responsibility, even if they are with caregivers, hospital, or in a nursing home. So make sure to visit them frequently and pay attention to the signs given above. If the cause of your parent’s poor health is a third-party, namely hospital, nurses, caregivers, or more, make sure to consult the attorney and provide them justice.
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