When Is It Time to Consider Residential Care?
An older adult’s care needs can change over time or suddenly.
If tasks they previously managed independently, such as washing, getting dressed or making meals, become harder, family members will find themselves visiting more often or arranging additional home care to keep their relative safe.
Even with regular visits from family members or home carers, your loved one could still be spending long periods alone when they need assistance, raising concerns about whether they can continue living safely at home.
This article helps families recognise when a residential care home might be necessary and helps them make an informed decision before their loved one’s needs become more difficult to manage.
How Do You Know When an Elderly Person Needs 24-Hour Care?
Frequent falls, increasing confusion, difficulty with personal care and mobility, as well as needing assistance during the night can all indicate that your loved one requires round-the-clock support. Another important sign is when scheduled home care visits no longer provide enough help to keep them safe between visits. If all of these apply, organising a care needs assessment can determine the level of support your loved one requires and whether live-in residential care is suitable.
The Signs Your Loved One May Need Residential Care
The following warning signs can help you assess whether your loved one’s needs have increased to the point where residential care should be considered.
Frequent Falls and Reduced Mobility
If your loved one has fallen several times in recent months, do you know what’s causing it?
It could be reduced muscle strength, poor balance or certain medications that increase fall risk.
Pay attention to how they’re getting themselves around at home. Are they struggling to stand up from the sofa? Have they stopped using the stairs because they’re worried about falling? Perhaps they’re holding onto furniture to get from one room to another. Issues such as worsening arthritis can restrict how they use their hands, affecting many household chores and personal care.
A walking aid or physiotherapy could help, but can your relative safely reach the bathroom or answer the door when they’re alone? If they regularly need physical assistance to move around, you likely need to review their current care arrangements.
Difficulty Managing Personal Hygiene
Your loved one might not want to tell you they’re struggling to wash or use the toilet. These are personal matters and many older adults understandably want to maintain their privacy.
You might notice they’re bathing less frequently because they can’t get in and out of the shower safely and are struggling to change their clothes or manage continence pads without help.
Think about how often they need help now.
Having a home carer arrive in the mornings might be enough to help your relative wash and dress, but what happens if they need to use the toilet several times throughout the afternoon?
If these needs are becoming frequent or unpredictable, having care staff available throughout the day and night could make a considerable difference to their comfort and dignity.
Missed Medication and Poor Nutrition
Have you opened your loved one’s fridge and found several untouched ready meals?
Or are they still taking tablets from last week’s medication organiser? If you notice these or similar signs, they signal that your relative is struggling to manage their daily routine.
Missing medication can be dangerous for their health. For example, taking the wrong dose of diabetes medication can cause blood sugar problems, while forgetting prescribed heart medication could affect how well their condition is controlled.
You might also find that your loved one is eating less because preparing meals has become too difficult for them, due to fatigue, forgetfulness or general weakness. If they struggle to stand at the cooker or carry hot dishes, they could start skipping meals altogether. Without enough food and protein, they’ll be at greater risk of losing weight and muscle strength, resulting in more falls and injury.
Meal deliveries and medication support can make living at home easier, but it’s important to check whether these arrangements are actually working.
If your relative is still going without meals or missing prescribed doses, they probably need staff available 24 hours to make sure they’re eating properly and taking their medication safely.
Memory Loss That Creates Safety Concerns
Many older adults occasionally forget names or appointments. But more concerning changes include forgetting how to complete familiar tasks or becoming confused in places they know well.
For example, your loved one might put food in the oven and then forget all about it. Or they could leave the front door unlocked overnight or become lost while walking to a nearby shop they’ve visited for years. These situations can put your loved one at serious risk of harm, particularly if they live alone and there’s nobody nearby to intervene.
If your relative has dementia, you might also notice changes in how they understand danger, such as trying to leave the house in the middle of the night without recognising that it’s dark or cold outside.
These situations need careful assessment.
Sudden confusion requires urgent medical attention because infections, dehydration and other illnesses can cause delirium.
If ongoing cognitive difficulties make independent living unsafe, residential care may provide the supervision your loved one needs.
Regularly Needing Help During the Night
One question families sometimes overlook is how well their loved one manages after going to bed.
Your relative might cope reasonably well during the day but struggle to get out of bed when they need the toilet. If they have poor balance or limited mobility, attempting to stand without assistance increases their risk of falling.
Night-time confusion is another concern because an older adult living with dementia might wake up believing it’s time to leave for work or become distressed because they don’t recognise their surroundings.
If you regularly stay overnight to help your loved one or receive calls because they can’t manage alone, ask yourself whether these arrangements are sustainable long-term for your life and how they will affect your loved one’s health and well-being.
Residential care provides staff support throughout the night, so residents can get the help when they need it without relying on family members to be available at all hours.
What to Do If You’re Concerned About Your Loved One Living Alone
If you’ve started visiting your loved one more frequently because you’re concerned about how they’re managing at home, at some point, it’s reasonable to question whether the current arrangements are meeting their needs. You want to respect their wishes, but you also need to know they’re safe when you can’t be with them.
Start by having an open conversation about how they’re managing alone.
They might admit that they’re finding certain things difficult or that they’ve become frightened of falling when they’re alone. If they’re reluctant to talk about it, try asking about specific parts of their day, such as getting ready in the morning or managing meals.
You can also arrange a free care needs assessment through your relative’s local council, which will give you both an opportunity to discuss what’s happening with a care professional who can review the support your loved one already receives and whether they need more.
During the assessment, explain how often your relative relies on you for help. For example, if you’ve taken over preparing their evening meals because they can no longer cook safely, make sure the assessor knows this so they can account for that support when deciding how much care your loved one requires.
Your loved one’s GP should also be involved if you’ve noticed a deterioration in their health, such as confusion or worsening mobility or whether they might benefit from physiotherapy or a medication review.
Once you’re clear on where they’re struggling, you can discuss the available options together.
Your relative might be able to remain at home with additional care visits or equipment, but if they need help at unpredictable times throughout the day or night, it’s sensible to start looking at residential care homes and finding out what daily life there would involve.
When You’re Ready to Look at Care Homes
Moving into residential care is a huge life change, so make sure to give your loved one time to ask questions and talk about any worries they have.
They might worry about losing their independence or whether they’ll still be able to enjoy the things they’ve always loved.
Visiting care homes together is a good way to explore these concerns and ease any worries. Encourage your relative to speak with other residents and find out what a typical day looks like at the home.
If your loved one is finding life at home increasingly difficult, exploring residential care early gives you more time to find somewhere they’re happy with. Respite care gives your relative the chance to experience the home first-hand on a temporary basis while giving you some breathing room from care responsibilities.
At Manor Barn Care Home, we welcome families who are beginning to consider residential care. You’re very welcome to come and have a look around, meet our team and see how we help residents feel comfortable and settled in their new home.
Ready to explore...
