It can be difficult to talk about personal care with your senior parent, but the fact is that seniors often have trouble with taking care of personal care tasks as they get older. Tremors, poor grip strength, inability to balance, vision loss, and other health issues that affect seniors make it difficult for them to do the things that many people take for granted every day. Just getting out of bed and washing up, brushing teeth, and getting dressed can be a real challenge for seniors if they have medical conditions that impact their movement or balance.
Many seniors don’t want to talk about personal care with their children, let alone have their children help them with delicate tasks like getting dressed or showering. Personal care at home allows seniors to keep their dignity while still getting the help that they need. And personal care at home is done by professionals who have been trained on safe and effective ways to help seniors with things that could potentially be dangerous like toileting, showering, or shaving.
Looking Good, Feeling Good
Looking good is linked to feeling good about yourself. And feeling good about yourself can make you more likely to have the confidence needed to go out and face the world. Seniors who usually have meticulous personal care habits and always put on makeup, or dress in nice clothes, or take pride in being clean-shaven each day can start to become depressed when they can’t do those things. That depression could have a big impact on their physical and mental health. Seniors often welcome personal care at home because it is a way for them to maintain the appearance that they are proud of and retain their personal dignity.
Privacy Matters
Seniors who grow up in a different time can be extremely hesitant to discuss their personal care needs, especially with their children. They don’t like to blur the boundary between parent and child by asking their children to help them with personal tasks. Even though your parent did those tasks for you when you were small they won’t feel comfortable asking you to do those tasks for them. With a personal care provider at home your senior loved one can maintain their privacy and the boundary between parent and child. Keeping their privacy and bodily autonomy is very important for seniors and it’s important that you respect their need for privacy.
Personal Care For Seniors
When you hire a care provider to provide personal care at home make sure that the provider has experience in personal care for seniors. Providers that have training and experience in personal care know things like the best way to help seniors put on clothes with buttons or the least painful way to help a senior get compression stockings on their legs. And, providers who have personal care experience and training will be able to spot potential changes in your senior’s loved one health by the condition of their skin and other clues that they will see when they are helping your senior parent with personal care tasks.
If you or an aging loved one is considering personal care at home in Lockwood, MT, call the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Billings today. 406-839-2390
