The following guest blog was written by Anne Markowitz Recht, LMSW & President of AMR Care Group. You can contact Anne for additional information at 516-605-0434 or by email at am*@am**********.com

Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and people will travel long distances to be with their families for the turkey feast, football and catching up.  While doing this many will notice changes about their older family member.  Yes, they have spoken on the telephone often but nothing speaks louder than watching your relative or friend get up from the table and go to the living room with a wobbly walk. Perhaps the conversation is sailing smoothly and they have an odd stare about them or seem totally disconnected.  Or it seems like they don’t really know who you are.

The signs are often there and some family members can miss it.  It’s not uncommon for relatives to pass off memory issues for being overwhelmed, “she never had a good memory anyway” or he’s always walked like that.”  Denial is a great coping mechanism but it’s better to see what’s happening so your relative do not have a fall, a car accident or endure some other crises.

So when you gather with your family for Thanksgiving or the December holidays, pay a little more attention to your Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle or Cousin and watch for changes that may affect their functioning.  Noticing the little things can help with slowing a potential downward trend or warding off crises.