Pause for a moment to close your eyes and imagine yourself like this: You have spent most of your life taking care of and assisting others – as a parent, in your occupation, through volunteering in your neighborhood, and as a grandparent. After a lifetime of living independently and being in control of your life’s decisions, you have now aged to the point that you now are the one in need of help with bathing and other personal care for seniors. Consider the sense of loss, vulnerability, and fear.
If you are providing care for an older loved one, it can be helpful to put yourself in his or her shoes when experiencing challenges related to helping the person with personal care tasks. The struggles your senior family member is feeling are real, and a little empathy and patience can go a long way towards promoting a sense of peace about receiving your help. Let’s face it: permitting someone to help with such personal services as bathing, dressing, and bathroom needs is unpleasant at best, and can feel as though dignity is ripped right away from the person if not handled sensitively.
Compassionate Care Home Health Services recognizes these challenges in providing personal care for seniors. We recommend keeping the SMILE concept in mind to help these sensitive circumstances feel more comfortable for both you and an older adult you love:
Safety: Assistive devices such as grab bars, electric razors, a bathtub chair and a handheld shower can be useful.
Modesty: Ensure privacy in the room and protect modesty as much as possible.
Independence: Empower older adults to preserve the ability to make choices, to express their own personal style, and to do as much as they can independently.
Levity: Be accepting of imperfection. Make it fun.
Etiquette: Treat the senior as a respected adult, with dignity.
Compassionate Care Home Health Services’ trained, experienced home care specialists provide respectful personal care assistance for older adults. Our caregivers are kind, professional, and background checked – so you can rest assured that your older loved one is always safe and secure in our care. Some of the various ways we can help include:
- Bathing, dressing and other personal hygiene assistance
- Light household chores and laundry
- Meal planning and preparation
- Accompanied transportation for errands, appointments, and fun activities
- Mobility assistance
- And so much more – adapted to each person’s unique needs
Reach out to us any time either online or by calling 877.308.1212 for more information about our mid-Michigan home health and hospice support, and to learn more about how we can help make life easier and more comfortable for an older adult you love.