The ultimate goal of any senior home care agency is to support our honored senior clients to age-in-place as safely, comfortably, and independently as possible.
The second most important goal is ensuring our clients maintain dignity and quality of life.
Personal Care for Seniors
Even seniors with the sharpest minds can struggle to uphold their standards of living due to age-related decline that compromises mobility, balance, and vision. If Alzheimer’s or dementia-related memory loss are also present, routine daily tasks become more challenging.
Personal care services ensure seniors get up and get dressed in clean, presentable clothes and that they can “dress up” and accessorize for special days/events. Our aides support bathing/showering, daily grooming, and personal hygiene, and we also help with toileting and incontinence care as needed.
All of these services are performed with absolute respect for our client’s dignity and sense of self.
Monitoring of Bathing & Showering
Depending on the client’s physical ability, we may simply stay close by to help him/her into and out of the shower chair or to safely navigate the bathroom. We can also help clients wash their hair and bodies, gently dry them off and help them dress into fresh clothes or pajamas, depending on their preferred shower time.
Grooming & Hygiene Care
The simple act of adhering to daily hygiene and grooming tasks goes a long way towards helping seniors “feel like themselves,” which keeps a spring in their step and the confidence to remain more socially engaged with their friends and community.
From brushing and styling hair and monitoring teeth brushing (and denture care) to helping seniors apply makeup or other aspects of their daily hygiene routine, we are here to help however we can.
Our trained aides support both toileting care and incontinence care so seniors never have to worry about soiling themselves or having to remain unclean as a result of their inability to take complete care of themselves.
Monitoring Changing & Dressing
In a study analyzing senior falls, the author cited reduced capacities to perform basic daily functions, such as dressing, as one of the leading causes of senior falls and injuries.
Dressing requires both stamina, clear vision, and balance. Also, seniors who have a difficult time getting dressed are more likely to forgo getting changed and dressed altogether, which can culminate in a lack of confidence, lower self-esteem, and a retreat from normal social engagement and activities – not to mention diminished hygiene.
Having an aide on hand to monitor seniors and coach them on ergonomic practices for getting dressed more safely (sitting down, using chairs to balance free arms, etc.) or to help with daily dressing and undressing can notably minimize the senior fall risks. Plus, once we have our clients dressed in their comfortable house clothes, or “going out” attire, they are mentally prepared for the day and any planned activities ahead.
Safe Transfers
Seniors who grow weak or who have diminished mobility benefit from having someone close by to help with “transfers.” Transfers include things like helping seniors safely:
- Get up and out of bed
- Migrate into and out of chairs or vehicles
- Walk from one location to another (for example, we may use a senior gait belt to keep them moving and the muscles working so they don’t consistently atrophy in a wheelchair)
- Between the wheelchair/walker to bed/chair and back again
- Get on/off the toilet or bedside commode
These seemingly simple acts can make the difference between a senior who remains independently at home and one that needs to make the difficult transition into assisted living.
Medication Reminders
Missing or taking an extra of a single medication can have disastrous effects. Even something as “minor” as a foggy brain can completely alter the outcome of a senior’s normal day because s/he is more likely to forget other important things or get lost on a familiar route.
Medication reminders are part of personal care services and ensure your spouse or parent takes his/her prescription medications as prescribed.
Elderly Care for Your Aging Loved Ones
We welcome you to reach out to the team at Families Choice Home Care to learn more about personal care and other elder care services that help your senior loved one age in place with dignity and quality of life.