<div class="article_info"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">By Lucille Reed</span></div>
Many seniors are able to lead independent lives. But the aging process often requires getting in-home care or moving to assisted living so you or a loved one can continue leading a happy and fulfilling life.

While the decision to opt for in-home care for yourself or a loved one is a very personal one, this article aims to help you decide when the time is right. There are considerations that both the senior and the caregiver should take into consideration.
<h3>Senior Signs</h3>
Here are five signs seniors may exhibit that could help you recognize it’s time for a senior to consider in-home care or moving to an assisted living facility:<sup>1</sup>
<ol>
 	<li>Behavior changes</li>
 	<li>Assistance with hygiene needed</li>
 	<li>Worsening health conditions</li>
 	<li>Increasing number of falls or accidents</li>
 	<li>Signs of neglect around the home</li>
</ol>
These can often be in conjunction with one another.
<h3>Caregiver Signs</h3>
It is also important that the concerns of those providing care for family members be taken into consideration. As a caregiver, you cannot give your best if you are struggling to balance caring for your senior with other responsibilities like your work and family.<sup>2</sup>

Caregivers may exhibit three signs that could help you recognize it’s time for a senior to consider in-home care or moving to an assisted living facility:<sup>3</sup>
<ol>
 	<li>Emotional burnout</li>
 	<li>Physical burnout</li>
 	<li>Role confusion</li>
</ol>
The transition to getting in-home care or moving to assisted living is a sensitive and personal decision.

Recognizing some signs of decline in seniors and caregivers may help ease the transition. Communication and coordination between caregivers and seniors are key throughout the aging process.<sup>2</sup>

<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Sources:</span>
<div>

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>1. WAHCA, 5 Signs That It Might Be Time to Consider Home Care, 2019, <a href="https://wahca.org/home-care/in-home-care/5-signs-that-it-might-be-time-to-consider-home-care/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wahca.org/home-care/in-home-care/5-signs-that-it-might-be-time-to-consider-home-care/</a></em></span>

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>2. Johns Hopkins Medicine, Caregiving: Knowing When It’s Time for In-Home Help, 2021, <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/caregiving-knowing-when-its-time-for-in-home-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/caregiving-knowing-when-its-time-for-in-home-help</a></em></span>

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>3. Assistedliving.org, 5 Signs It’s Time to Hire a Home Health Aide, n.d. 2021, <a href="https://www.assistedliving.org/hire-a-home-health-aide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.assistedliving.org/hire-a-home-health-aide/</a></em></span>

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