Moving into Residential Aged Care: 7 ways to know it's time

“The main thing for families to consider is whether their loved one is safe whilst living in the community,” says Sunita. “If their mobility is reduced, this heightens the risk of frequent accidents and injuries.”

Have you noticed an increase in minor accidents like small trips and falls, regularly burning food, or dropping things?

Or perhaps there’s been a spike in more serious incidents, like a painful fall, untreated wounds, or
an increase in hospital visits? In which case, it’s worth discussing this as soon as possible with your GP.

At residential care homes, staff are on hand 24/7 to support older people as they move around and get on with their day.

Whilst those living at home can sometimes be afraid to go out in case they fall, a care home can offer a rejuvenated sense of confidence, with residents feeling supported and encouraged to keep doing the things they love.

Losing weight is not always a normal sign of ageing. If an older family member has lost weight
and become significantly frailer, it’s important to pay attention.

“Skipping meals is surprisingly common and happens for a number of reasons,” says senior Aged Care Nurse, Pru. “It could be because the person is experiencing memory loss, and believes they’ve already eaten.

“Or the person might not be physically able to get up and prepare themselves something to eat
– particularly if it’s painful to move around.

“We also see older people who’ve recently experienced a bereavement, or who are affected by loneliness and/or depression, which can result in loss of appetite.”

Whatever the reason, a sudden loss of weight is a common, early sign that your loved one may need some additional support.

“The change we often see in new care home residents is incredible,” adds Pru. “Within a few
weeks of moving in, they put on weight, their skin becomes healthier, and they are often thinking more sharply too. It can make a real difference to their overall wellbeing.”

Even those who take great pride in keeping a clean house may struggle to maintain the cleaning upkeep as the ageing process develops and daily maintenance gets more difficult.

It might be that their garden has become overgrown, or there are piles of rubbish starting to build. Is your family member regularly replenishing their fresh food supplies?

“Many families tell us that one of their earliest realisations their loved one needed more support was that the food in their fridge was regularly left to go off,” says Sunita.

Families sometimes notice hoarding tendencies too - which are common in older age. This can manifest in a noticeable build-up of clutter around the house (making some spaces completely unusable), and a great sense of distress at the idea of throwing anything out.

Unfortunately, this difficulty maintaining self care practices can extend to both hygiene and medication routines. When someone has reduced mobility or cognitive impairment, everyday tasks like washing, using the toilet, or tidying their hair could also become a challenge.

“People can also fall out of step with their medication routine, which causes its own problems,” says Pru.

“We often hear of people writing sticky notes to themselves so that they can remember if they’ve
showered or eaten – which is a clear sign that additional support is needed.”

Carer’s stress is very real, and often a catalyst for considering residential aged care. Providing ongoing support to someone can cause extreme exhaustion for the caregiver – particularly if they too are elderly.

Services such as in-home care and temporary respite care can help alleviate the pressures of providing care to your loved ones, and give the carer some time to rest. However, if a loved one
needs round-the-clock care, there will still be long stretches of time where they are without professional support – and this puts additional pressure on their carer.

“Caregivers often talk to us about the physical and emotional strain of providing 24/7 care,” says Sunita. “Their loved one might have sleep disturbances or become incontinent, which worsens the caregiver’s exhaustion. If dementia is present, changes in behaviour may become increasingly difficult to manage.”

If you have been caring for a loved one for a long time, it can be hard to come to terms with the fact that they may need more than you can provide for them at home. However, the choice to move into aged care does not mean that you are leaving your loved one on their own.

In many ways, giving them access to 24/7 care allows you to re-enter their life as a loved one first and foremost – someone to spend time with, someone to talk to, and someone to share memories with. This type of relationship can be hard to maintain under the strain of providing constant care, which is why Aged Care provides an opportunity for families to reconnect again on a deeper level with their elderly loved ones.

The early signs of dementia are often mistaken as a normal part of the ageing process. In fact,
dementia is much more than forgetfulness and can present as any significant changes in thinking, behaviours, or the ability to do everyday activities.

“Some key signs to look out for in your loved one are confusion about where they are – have
they recently got lost somewhere they are usually familiar with?” Says Pru. “They might become confused about the time of day or use unusual words to describe commonplace things.”

“Are they putting objects in the wrong place - like a hairbrush in the fridge?” And whilst a person’s short-term memory reduces, their long-term memories begin to take centre stage. They might believe their adult children are still young, for example, or forget that people close to them have passed away.

“It’s important to note,” says Sunita, “that this behaviour doesn’t happen constantly – people have good days and bad days. But if you or they notice a change in thinking, behaviour or the ability to do everyday tasks, it’s important to check in with the GP.”

The prevalence of depression in older people in Australia is significant, affecting between 10 and 15 per cent of the retired population. An additional 10 per cent are thought to experience anxiety.

Older people may experience ongoing isolation, and frequent bereavement as friends, siblings, or
even their partner pass away. All of this takes a heavy toll on well-being, and they might begin to
feel like life has lost some of its excitement.

Has your loved one stopped going out as much? Are they still doing things they love? Depression
commonly affects sleep routines and appetite too, which further exacerbates feelings of low mood and listlessness.

It’s important to remember that help is available, and regardless of their age, your loved one can recover.