While living a long life is wonderful, it comes with its fair share of issues. The health and mobility of an aging individual can decline over the years, making it harder for them to participate in different activities. When struggling with mobility, forgetfulness, medical issues, and more, it’s important for the elderly to have someone there to help them when they need it the most.
One of the things that become difficult for seniors is proper hygiene. They may struggle to brush their teeth, properly bathe themselves, and brush their hair. As these tasks become more of a daily challenge, the need for professional personal care for elderly becomes obvious. Caring professionals can assist seniors with these day-to-day tasks to ensure they’re in the best condition possible.
Helping Seniors With Bathing and Grooming
Seniors face all kinds of issues each day. They might not remember everything that they should do to keep up with their personal hygiene. Besides a lack of memory, they might struggle with aches and pains that keep them from getting in and out of the bathtub. Some seniors don’t understand what is happening to them or why, and they become angry. They might even refuse to take a bath because they do not understand how important it is for them to do.
Caretakers must take a gentle and caring approach to handle any elderly patient. The goal is to explain the importance of bathing while assisting with it in the safest and most efficient way possible. It’s important to provide a safe space for the senior to bathe.
It’s a good idea to have anti-slip mats on the bathroom floor and inside the bathtub. Safety railings can come in handy and give the elderly something to grab while they’re getting into the tub. Caretakers can also provide a bath chair for patients to sit on and use while showering to avoid standing for too long.
Being Considerate with Daily Tasks
A skilled caretaker isn’t going to rush their elderly patient to do anything. It’s all about having patience and providing services most adequately. Caretakers should speak calmly to their elderly patients, explain what they’re doing, and avoid saying anything that could leave the elderly feeling humiliated.
Some seniors need assistance with washing themselves. They’re unable to do it because of their aches and pains, along with mobility issues. In that case, caretakers may use a bath sponge with a handle attachment, along with the showerhead to help with washing the hair and body. It’s vital to make the elderly individual feel as comfortable as possible during this process.
Help With Getting Dressed and Ready for the Day
Even after bathing the patient, the caretaker will still have work to do. They’ll need to get ready to help the elderly individual get dressed and ready for the day. These specific tasks may include buttoning shirts, putting socks on, tying shoes, combing and styling the hair, applying deodorant, and applying lotion to the arms and legs when needed.
Providing Convenient Products for the Elderly
A caretaker can provide the elderly individual with different products, including disposable underwear. Some older adults can’t make it to the bathroom in time. As a result, they’ll need to use disposable underwear. A portable toilet may be available for the aging individual to use. The caretaker would be responsible for dumping and cleaning the portable toilet, which is commonly referred to as a commode chair.
While disposable underwear comes in handy, other products are just as useful for the elderly. These products may include baby powder to prevent chafing of the skin, body lotion to keep the skin hydrated, and antibacterial ointment for any open wounds or bedsores from being stuck in one position for too long. If an elderly patient has a specific request to use a product, such as a brand of soap or lotion, the caretaker can provide it for them.
Keeping Up with Oral Hygiene
While some older adults still have their natural teeth, most own dentures. In that case, it’s easier for the caretaker to clean them for their patient. The patient would need to remove the dentures from their mouth. Once they do so, the caretaker can use the proper cleaning solution to wash them and eliminate any germs and bacteria from them before giving them back to their patient.
Older people often need help from caretakers because they struggle with mobility and suffer from various ailments. The help provided by a caretaker can leave them in the best possible condition. The caretaker makes sure their oral and physical hygiene is taken care of each day.
