Talking about hygiene and personal care needs with aging family members can be an awkward conversation for both parties. Seniors can easily become embarrassed, particularly when they’re experiencing big challenges that keep them from taking care of hygiene tasks the way they want. Personal care at home is a perfect solution, but family caregivers might need to have a talk first about what to expect.
Lead with Empathy
As embarrassing as it is to talk about body odors and changes to someone’s appearance, the best way to begin conversations about hygiene is for family caregivers to practice as much empathy as possible. Thinking about how they would want someone to approach them about this type of topic can help.
Mentioning that they’re concerned and that they only want to help can break the ice and allow seniors to feel more comfortable sharing what is going on.
Don’t Assume They Know There’s an Issue
It’s also good to remember that seniors may not know that there is an issue with their hygiene. If they’re dealing with cognitive changes, for instance, they may not remember to change clothes, bathe, or brush their hair.
Some seniors have trouble with their sense of smell and don’t realize that they may have an odor that is unusual for them.
Ask What Else They Need Help Managing
Personal care at home providers can help with other tasks, too, so it can be a good idea to get it all out in the open with one conversation. Talk to seniors about what other tasks are becoming challenging, like laundry or cooking healthy meals. These are tasks that someone else can handle for them, allowing them to rest more and feel more comfortable as well.
Offer Solutions Like Personal Care at Home
Personal care at home involves helping seniors to bathe, get dressed, wash their hair, and take care of other hygiene tasks. Personal care at home caregivers can watch for issues like seniors having fingernails that are sharp and can cause skin damage as well.
Their goal is to help seniors to feel good, to be safe in their homes, and to remain as healthy as possible.
Address Medical Concerns
Sometimes hygiene issues are related to underlying medical concerns that seniors aren’t aware of yet. For instance, seniors may have more trouble with laundry and bathing because they’re battling incontinence.
If there are medical causes for the incontinence, treating that issue can bring relief and allow seniors to no longer have to deal with the other concerns alone.
Personal care at home can be there for seniors as they deal with all sorts of hygiene tasks. These tasks may seem on the surface to be vanity, but they’re also about helping seniors to be clean, keep their skin in good condition, and simply feel good every day.
As they have more of the help that they need, seniors may be more open about other tasks that are getting difficult for them, which can allow them to get more of the help that they need.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Personal Care at Home in Burlingame, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care today at (415) 463-1400
Aviva In-Home Care provides exceptional senior home care in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Burlingame, San Mateo, Hillsborough, Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Berkeley, Lafayette, Orinda, and surrounding areas.
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