Ashton Place Assisted Living offers high-quality assisted living for elderly people. We have a facility that is warm and welcoming and provides all the services they need to live their golden years in peace and contentment. In our last blog, we introduced the topic of mental acuity, and how, when it begins to fade it can be an indication that an assisted living facility needs to be considered. How do you know if your parent’s cognitive abilities have been compromised? To learn some common signs of this, keep reading.
Increased Forgetfulness
We all forget things. We forget what our zip code is because we’ve lived in so many over our lives. We forget where we laid our glasses or our keys. These are signs of a normal level of forgetfulness and can this type of memory can actually improve when worked on with learning exercises to keep the mind sharp.
However, there are other types and severities of memory loss that should be of concern.
Causes of Forgetfulness
When you notice memory loss in your aging parent or loved on, the immediate worry is that it is a sign of Alzheimer's, or dementia. The difference will be covered in a future blog. In this blog,we will cover other causes.
There are medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, that can cause a mental fog.
Other causes, according to the National Institute on Aging, are vitamin B12 deficiency, chronic alcoholism, brain tumors, blood clots, “thyroid, kidney, or liver disorders can also lead to memory loss”.
It goes without saying that to be sure of the cause it is best to receive medical attention and an official diagnosis.
Is Forgetfulness Reason Enough for a Move to an Assisted Living Facility?
One you have the answer to the cause of the forgetfulness you will have a better understanding of your parents or loved one’s overall health. Forgetfulness can be benign, causing no harm to anyone, but it can also be quite dangerous. When forgetfulness causes your parent to leave the stove on or to drop a cigarette onto the furniture, it may be time to think about moving them into an assisted living facility. Assisted living can help simple, benign forgetfulness because communal living provides mental stimulation and physical exercise and these things can help anyone’s mental acuity.
Check back for future blogs where we discuss other factors in deciding if the time is right for a move to an assisted living facility. Call Ashton Place for any help you need with this decision. We offer high quality assisted living to help elderly people maintain a quality of life as long as possible.