Home Care Services in Frisco, TX – Consider these Potential Risk Factors for a Senior with Reduced Memory Function
Forgetting to turn the stove off is a common cliché about seniors and failing memories. This is a common concern people have when thinking about their aging loved ones, especially if they live alone. They might have started to cook soup or boil water on the stove, walked away and then completely forgot they had this going on in the kitchen.
Depending on what was placed on the stove, it could begin to burn, smolder, smoke, and then catch fire. That’s not the only potential problem with regard to senior home safety and failing memories. An elderly individual could forget to take certain prescription medications at the prescribed time. They may also end up taking the wrong ones at the wrong time.
Relying on pill organizers, digital reminders with alarms, and other strategies can help reduce various risk factors, but there are still some that may require outside help.
Forgetting to check smoke detectors and replace the batteries can also put the senior at risk. Forgetting something is in the oven or on the stove can also place them in danger. Not remembering a forecast for severe weather that they saw earlier in the day and then heading out in the afternoon for a walk around the block could potentially put them at risk.
With regard to memory loss and seniors, Reuters reports in its article, Up to 5 [percent] of elderly lose memory each year: study, that Dr. Ronald Peterson, a neurologist who conducted a research study on cognitive impairment:
“Peterson’s team was studying 2,000 people past the age of 70 who started out normal and healthy. Every year, more than 5 percent had enough loss of mental function and memory to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, known as MCI.”
Just because an elderly individual may be cogent and clearheaded at the moment doesn’t mean that will remain the case a year or five years later on. It’s important for family and friends to be vigilant and pay attention to the prospect of some level of memory loss as people get older. The chances of enduring some type of memory loss actually increase when the senior doesn’t get their brain enough exercise on a regular basis. Exercise for the brain includes strategic thinking, problem solving, and even doing puzzles. Watching television or movies on a regular basis is not going to get the brain the type of exercise it so desperately needs.
For anyone focused on improving home safety for the senior in their life, pay attention to potential signs of memory loss. The more significant memory loss may be, the more necessary it becomes to sit down and talk about safety and the prospect of hiring a professional home care provider.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Home Care Services in Frisco, TX, Please Call The Caring Staff At Second Family Home Care At (972) 846-HOME (4663).