3 Reasons Seasonal Home Care For The Elderly Is Becoming Popular
If you have an elderly loved one who is relatively independent during the summer months yet needs extra help during the cold winter months, then you are not alone. Many families are realizing that their aging parents and grandparents need seasonal home care during the winter months, even when they can live rather independently during the summer and fall.
Read on to learn three reasons why seasonal home care during the winter and spring months for seniors is becoming a popular option for families.
1. Cold Winter Weather Can Worsen Dementia Symptoms
Many recent studies have shown that the elderly who suffer from dementia often experience a worsening of symptoms during the winter and spring months. In fact, the symptoms of cognitive decline can worsen greatly during these months, and researchers have even found that the level of a specific protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease even increases during the winter and spring months.
While researchers are still unsure of all of the reasons for these changes in dementia symptoms during the cold months of the year, dementia experts suspect that the shorter winter days can exasperate sundowning symptoms and that the routine changes made during the winter, such as spending less time outdoors, can cause dementia suffers to become confused and agitated.
2. A Winter Caregiver Can Help Prevent Outdoor Winter Injuries
If you live in an area of the country where the ground becomes covered with snow and ice during the winter months, then your senior loved one may be at a greater risk for potentially disabling outdoor falls.
When you enlist the help of a seasonal home caregiver for your elderly loved one, they can determine when it is safe for your loved one to go on walks outdoors and accompany them during these walks to help prevent falls. In addition, they can arrange for help clearing snow and ice from your loved one's property so you do not have to worry about your elderly loved one attempting to clear it on their own and becoming injured.
3. A Home Care Companion Can Prevent Winter Blues
The retired elderly often face difficulty finding ways to stay active during the cold months of the year. Outdoor activities can be limited, and they may face difficulty finding indoor activities outside of the house that they can attend. Lack of social activities to engage in can lead to the elderly developing the winter blues during the winter months.
When a home care worker visits your loved one at the home on a regular basis, they can provide them the much-needed companionship they need to ward off depression and other forms of mental health decline.
Seasonal home care for the elderly is becoming very popular as the families of the elderly realize that the winter weather can worsen symptoms of dementia and cause many other seniors to need a little extra help around the house and companionship during the long, winter months.