Does this Person Need Care?

Family and friends concerned with an older person's ability to care for himself can ask themselves the following questions to determine whether the help of a caregiver is needed:

• Eating: Are clothing items frequently stained by food? Is the person losing weight without an obvious explanation?
• Getting in and out of a chair or bed: Does the person rock back and forth several times before actually getting up? Are nearby furniture items or objects used for support? Does sitting seem to involve falling backward into a chair?
• Toileting: Are clothing items soiled or wet?
• Bathing: Are the person's skin and hair dirty?
• Grooming: Does the person have a rumpled or disheveled appearance?
• Walking: Does the person seem unsteady? Have falls occurred?
• Taking medicine: Do prescriptions last longer than they should? Are prescriptions used up faster than they should be?
• Using the telephone: Does the person seem to understand phone conversations? Is the phone consistently answered when the person is known to be home?
• Managing money (paying bills, balancing a checking account): Do bills go unpaid, leading to overdue notices? Has the person repeatedly been notified of overdrafts on accounts?
• Preparing food: Are food items kept past expiration dates? Do pots and pans seem to become scalded repeatedly? Has the stove been found left on?
• Doing laundry: Are clothes clean?
• Housekeeping: Is the home increasingly unkempt? Can the person find things readily when they are needed?
• Using transportation: Has the person repeatedly become lost while traveling in ways or on routes that are familiar?
• Shopping: Is the kitchen or pantry stocked with a reasonable amount and variety of food items?