?Physical Well-Being. Observe changes in eating or sleeping habits. Has mom or dad lost weight recently? Has their appetite for food (or life) lessened? All kinds of things can effect a shift in physical state: a recent fall, accidents around the home, change or mix up in medications. ? Changes in Appearance. Is dad shaving regularly? Has mom stopped using makeup or doing her hair? Are your folks dressing, showering and taking some care with their appearance? ? Emotional Stress. Not everyone is a bell-ringing bundle of joy at this time of year. It's a hectic time for everyone, but one or more of your parents may be depressed beyond mere stress so you'll want to pay attention to see if a parent seems unusually disinterested in family activities, participates minimally in conversation, seems sullen and withdrawn, or appears dazed or confused. These may be clues more devoted care is required.
? "Ut Oh" Home Signs. Be watchful of tons of clutter and an unusually messy home, especially if it's always been PDN (Pretty Darn Neat). Are there stacks of dishes in the sink, or piles of laundry? Is the refrigerator full of containers you don't even want to open? These are all signs that something is wrong -- that an adult may be depressed, disinterested or even be suffering from Alzheimer's or another neurological disorder. (We can offer sophisticated help with Alzheimer's.) ? They've Got Mail (Unopened). Few of us open jun k mail, but unopened personal mail from relatives may indicate a cause for concern. Also look for dunning letters and those terrible threatening envelopes from creditors, banks, or insurance companies. It's so important that bills get paid; insurances can be cancelled, credit card rates can go through the roof. Maybe important chores like these are something a home-care helper from BrightStar North-Suburban can handle.? Minimized Motor(ing) Skills. There are two things to be discussed here: 1) motor skills as in struggling with physical tasks that are generally simple to execute, and 2) motor skills as in safely driving a vehicle. Are there lots of dings and dents on the car? Do they drive too slow or miss seeing signs or drive through a stop sign occasionally? Especially because there are serious safety concerns to consider, these are tough issues to deal with as the adult child of a parent. If you want advice regarding "The Car Key Conversation" steer here to a great article from the N.Y. Times.