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How Can In-Home Care Workers Help Seniors with Personal Care?

July 27, 2022

As we get older, tasks that were once simple grow to be laborious. The same goes for personal care. It’s more difficult to reach up and wash one’s hair than it once was. Stepping out of the shower or tub can be a challenge not only due to stiff joints but due to a fear of a slip and fall. Dressing is a similar danger, as one misstep can result in a nasty tumble. As a result, many begin to wonder: how can in-home care workers help seniors with personal care?

To avoid the physical and mental strain that comes with bathing, dressing, and toileting, many seniors reel back on their regular care routines. Instead of showering every day, they do so every two or three days. Brushing teeth becomes daily instead of twice a day. Seniors may wear the same pair of clothes for as long as possible to avoid having to change. This cycle easily stretches into further lengths of time, and the effects become clear.

A lack of personal care can have repercussions

Skipping some personal care tasks may seem harmless, but they can grow to cause seniors serious problems. Poor hygiene leads to complications far more severe than bad breath or body odor. For instance, when one does not regularly bathe, they are more likely to experience gastroenteritis, colds, and even hepatitis A.

This is because seniors come into contact with different types of bacteria every day. If seniors don’t wash it away, it festers. Similarly, dermatitis neglecta (an itchy, scaly build-up of skin) can also occur due to a lack of personal hygiene. If seniors don’t brush away food particles and bacteria from their teeth, it can result in cavities, infections, and eventually, gum disease. Each of these issues can evolve into more serious problems for seniors.

In-home caregivers make personal care easy

When older adults start to slip with personal care, many start to wonder if it’s time for an assisted living facility—but you don’t have to give up living independently. If you require assistance with daily personal care tasks (such as bathing, dressing, and toileting) and not medical care, an in-home care-aid can be the bridge between what you can do on your own, and what you need aid with. It is their duty to help seniors with personal care and any daily living tasks in between.

In-Home Care Workers Help Seniors with Personal Care

What can in-home caregivers do?

If you struggle with reaching or bending due to stiff joints, caregivers can help. They can relieve the strain that comes with duties such as shampooing. Afterward, they can comb and style your hair the way you like it. They can also assist with dressing you in your favorite clothes if you find you struggle with balance or even buttoning up a shirt.

For tasks like bathing and toileting, caregivers provide compassionate, dignified help. If you’ve been worried, or even embarrassed, about any unpleasant odors or infections, the care of an in-home aide will lift that burden off your shoulders. You can go out to see family members and friends feeling comfortable and confident again. Personal care services make you feel like you again.

Personal care in Chicagoland

For more than 25 years, Home Care Powered by AUAF has served seniors in the greater Chicago area our home care services. Our in-home caregivers provide clients the sensitive care they need to live out their golden years in comfort, no matter the type of care they require. We work to bring ease to your day-to-day life. On top of personal care, our services include:

  • Meal preparation
  • Medication reminders and management
  • Light housekeeping
  • Laundry
  • Errands
  • Brain games and activities
  • Companionship and social interaction

If you have a loved one who has already been providing you at-home care, they might be able to be paid for their work. One of your family members can become a paid family caregiver through our program. Through our training, your loved one will be able to provide you with the quality of life you need.

For more information on how we can help you live independently, call us at 773-274-9262.

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