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Elder Warning Signs
When is it time to look for help?
Please print this page and circle each question where you have answered yes.
- Are you over 80 years old and suffer from a chronic medical condition?
- Have you seen a physician in the last six months?
- Do you have any of the following health problems?
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Suffered a stroke
- Open wounds
- Forgetfulness that interferes with daily life
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Hip, knee, or back pain for more than one month
- Parkinson's Disease
- Congestive heart failure / heart problems
- Do you take four or more prescribed medicines per day?
- Do you often get confused about medications?
Can you pour medicine without spilling or take the correct pills each dose?
- Do you have trouble reading words as small as what is found on medicine labels?
- Do you have problems hearing door bells or hearing conversations over the telephone?
- Do people misunderstand what you want, when you talk to them?
- Does pain interfere with your daily life?
- Are you often out of breath with normal exertion?
- Do you have an illness or condition that changes the kind or amount of food that you eat?
Example: Coumadin and other blood thinners which should not be mixed with
vitamin K foods such as broccoli or kale.
- On average, do you eat less than 2 meals a day?
- Do you have tooth, denture, or mouth problems that make it difficult to eat?
- Have you lost or gained 10 pounds in the last 6 months?
- Are you unable to shop, cook, or feed yourself?
- Have you fallen or stumbled 2 or more times in the last three months?
- Is it an effort to walk on uneven surfaces such as a lawn or high pile rug?
- Do you have difficulty walking upstairs or downstairs?
- Do you use a walker or wheelchair for day-to-day activities?
- Do you have difficulty getting up and out of a chair?
- Do you need assistance getting up and out of bed?
- Do you have difficulty getting on and off the toilet?
- Do you have difficulty getting in and out of the tub or the shower?
- Do you require assistance to bathe yourself and wash your hair?
- Do you brush your teeth/dentures less than twice daily?
- Do you forget to comb or style your hair daily or when going out in public?
- Are you going without shaving or applying makeup daily?
- Do you have difficulty dressing yourself, buttoning and zipping clothes,
or matching colors and clothing appropriately?
- Have you been in a car accident or gotten a ticket in the past year?
- Do you drive slower than other vehicles, swerve, or present a danger on the road?
- Do you often wear soiled clothing? Do you not change clothing for several days in a row?
- Is some of the food in your refrigerator spoiled or past expiration dates?
- Is your residence dusty or has the floor not been vacuumed or mopped in the past week?
- Do you smell urine when you enter your home?
- Have you gotten lost or can't find your car within the past three months?
- Do you have confusion when using the phone or visual problems when dialing numbers?
- Have you been confused as to who you are, where you are, or
recognizing the people around you in the past month?
- Have you been depressed during the past two months?
- Have you shown diminished interest in usual activities?
- Do you have sleep disturbances, claim to be always tired, or wander at night?
- Are you bored and have little or nothing to do during the day?
- Do you think daily about how much pain you are in and get discouraged about how you can't seem to do what you used to?
- Has your spouse died within the past year?
- Have your kids encouraged you to move to a retirement home even when you have told them you don't want to move?
- Are you concerned about a friend, relative, or neighbor borrowing or taking your belongings, or asking you for money?
- Have you been hospitalized in the past year or made a trip to the emergency room?
- Has a family member told you that you should not be driving, or have you given up your driver's license due to safety concerns?
- Do you need help organizing and paying your bills?
If you or a loved one answered yes to 5 or more of these questions, please call Elder Options for ideas to help remain independent and safe at home. Your free consultation can be arranged by calling
(360) 636-1000 or toll free (800) 608-2388. |
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