As seniors age, they may need help being reintroduced to performing basic daily tasks. Relearning fundamental life essentials such as bathing and grooming sometimes fall into this category. Some seniors may find that they cannot care for themselves like they used to and need help relearning these activities, such as maintaining basic personal hygiene. Sometimes they may need assistance with personal hygiene as they recover from an injury or illness. This could look like providing bathing and grooming assistance for seniors in our home care services. At Aleca Health, we recognize the importance of this, which is why we offer personalized therapy plans to help seniors regain their strength, independence, and confidence when it comes to performing basic activities of daily living. We will examine this aspect of our services and why it’s essential to a senior’s life.
The Importance of Specialized Care and Support in Maintaining Personal Hygiene for Seniors
It can be challenging for a senior to admit they need help with relearning these tasks or when they are told they need assistance. This may be a tough conversation, but it is necessary to understand they can enjoy a better quality of life if they are able to fully perform daily personal hygiene tasks. Often, that means dedicating time to personalized therapy plans to reintroduce the basic motor and physical skills to maintain activities of daily living.
As you consider the right level of care for your loved one, consider these benefits that highlight the importance of bathing and grooming assistance for seniors:
Healthy Living
First and foremost, receiving help with bathing and grooming can help seniors live a healthy life. Poor personal hygiene habits can be a sign of depression and can lead to other health issues. Taking care of basic needs can lead to overall healthier living, and accomplishing these tasks independently is one of the first steps to leading a healthy and confident lifestyle.
Avoid Body Odor
It’s no secret that when someone does not shower, body odor problems can develop. Some may not even realize there is a problem, which can be a bigger issue. But, through a service that assists seniors in relearning basic bathing and grooming, like home health services with Aleca, you can ensure your loved one doesn’t run into this problem.
Prevent Skin Issues
Skin issues can become more common as we age. By being able to bathe and groom on their own terms, seniors protect their skin and help to avoid skin infections. Moisturizing the skin after bathing also helps to keep the skin in good condition.
Maintain Foot Care
Besides skin problems, seniors may face foot issues if they ignore basic hygiene. Soaking and moisturizing the feet helps maintain proper foot care and avoid other medical issues.
Find Health Problems
If seniors are not bathing regularly, they may miss potential health complications. As they are paying attention to their grooming, they may notice a bruise or unusual bump that needs medical attention. When someone is not tending to basic hygiene, these types of things may go unnoticed. Regular bathing and grooming help detect these types of issues so that your loved one can get the medical help they may need.
Oral Health Care
As part of basic grooming care, a home health professional can ensure their patient can care for their oral health. Brushing teeth and gums is an essential part of maintaining good oral health. Taking good care of the mouth can help to avoid bad breath and other dental issues.
Poor oral health is also linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, among other issues. [1] This is another crucial reason for getting bathing and grooming assistance for seniors at home.
Choosing the Right Help
When it comes time that your loved one needs help to relearn basic bathing and grooming motions, you want to choose a service that will maintain their dignity. Needing help with relearning basic tasks like bathing may make many seniors feel uncomfortable. Look for support that makes the process as easy as possible.
As you look for a home health aide to help with bathing and grooming, you want to be sure the agency and aide are licensed and certified. You want a qualified person to give your loved one the care they need and to know how to handle them, especially if there are other health issues.
You also want to choose someone who has gone through a background check and is safe to be with your loved one in their home. If the aide will be alone with your loved one, you want to have someone you can trust. You can also ask for references to ensure that the person you choose is qualified and familiar with bathing and grooming assistance for seniors.
Bathing and Grooming Assistance for Seniors at Home from Aleca Health
At Aleca Health, we offer a comprehensive range of home health services for seniors, including assistance with daily living activities such as relearning how to perform activities of daily living such as bathing and grooming through a comprehensive occupational therapy plan. Our home health aides are qualified and experienced in helping seniors regain their independence and agency when it comes to carrying out basic tasks.
You’ll find that the care our team gives is second to none. We offer services in Arizona, Washington, and Oregon. To learn more about our services for seniors, call us or reach out to us online.
Sources:
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/conditions/
Dan is Vice President, Marketing of the Alumus family of companies. A Seattle native, he earned his BA in Humanities and Political Science at Evergreen State College. He started his career as a newspaper columnist, eventually transitioning into marketing and tech writing for Microsoft and several other startups. He later launched a successful creative agency focused on branding, digital marketing, and content production in Los Angeles, where he worked for several nursing and behavioral health clients, eventually becoming the National Marketing Director for one of them.
He has taught Vipassana mindfulness meditation and MBSR and spends whatever free time he has with his son snowboarding, hiking, and camping in the mountains.