Source: The Care Guide

As the temperature plummets, families will be keeping a watchful eye over their senior relatives and for many, the winter means re-evaluating their loved one's current living situation. Determining whether or not a senior relative may require a change in living arrangements can be difficult.

“Starting the housing discussion early can minimize issues,” said Derek Mercey, Vice President, The Care Guide. “Find out as early as possible what living arrangements your older relatives want as they age. The worst time to have the discussion is after some kind of crisis or when they've had some deterioration in mental or physical faculties. Find out early and start planning with them for their old age: you'll be doing them and the rest of your family a favour.”

The top ten signs in order of seriousness that a senior may require a change in living arrangements, as outlined by The Care Guide,

10. Less active lifestyle and tendency to stay at home

9. Exterior of home is less well maintained than historically

8. Change in communication quality or frequency

7. Fewer invites to their home or a change in visit patterns

6. Unopened bills and other mail

5. Unkempt home and laundry or dishes piling up

4. Unexplained weight loss

3. Blackened pots or other damage to environment

2. Bruises or other signs of trauma from falls or difficulty navigating around the house

And the number one sign:

1. If you're experiencing concern for their well-being, they probably need help.

“Recognizing that elderly parents need assistance in taking care of themselves is one of the biggest shifts in a person's life, “ adds Mercey. “Society teaches us how to raise children and recognize their needs, but there's no similar awareness that our parents' needs and capabilities are changing, largely because we think of them as caregivers, not the other way around. “