Senior Hygiene: Hair loss, or alopecia, is a common issue for aging family members.

It can have an emotional impact that is hard to predict. Because July is International Alopecia Month for Women, you and your senior might want to have a talk about any issues she’s having around hair loss and what you might be able to do to help. There’s more than can be done than your senior might think, even if she’s not able to regrow every strand she has lost. Keeping an eye on your senior hygiene is important.

Consider a Shorter Haircut

Long hairstyles might make thinning hair more obvious or more difficult to manage for your senior. Changing her hairdo to one that is a little shorter can be a way to camouflage hair loss and simplifies things a little bit. Changing a hairstyle that your senior has had for a long time can feel like a massive change for her, so tread carefully.

Do Less to the Hair Overall

Anything that helps your elderly family member to do less to her hair can help with managing alopecia. Heat styling, excessive brushing, and techniques like teasing can all cause damage that can lead to thinning hair. Shorter, less complicated hairstyles that require less styling to look nice for your senior can help her to preserve the hair that she has left.

Consider Products that Offer Moisture to Hair and Scalp

As your senior ages, her skin changes, including the skin on her scalp. She may find that her scalp and hair are both much drier than ever before, which can lead to flakes and itchiness. Using products that moisturize your senior’s hair and scalp can help with easing those issues greatly.

Senior Hygiene: Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor about Medical Causes

There are a lot of different causes for alopecia, and some of those causes are medical in nature. Your elderly family member’s doctor may be able to help her to find treatments that work for her and that help to slow her hair loss. Switching up her diet or adding specific nutrients that she’s low in, can help quite a bit, and that’s what’s best to do with her doctor’s guidance.

If it is getting difficult for your elderly family member to handle haircare or senior hygiene on her own, it might be time for extra assistance. Senior care providers can help with haircare as well as other personal care tasks, like bathing and getting dressed for the day.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring  Senior Care in Piedmont, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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