A person’s hygiene is a key indicator of their overall health. But especially for a senior person, their lack of personal grooming can signal that they already need assistance from caregivers. When you perceive this need in your aging parent, prudence would urge you to rise to the occasion and care for them yourself.
Bathing a senior person is one of the essential activities to achieve a well-groomed persona and it’s one of the concerns we emphasize at Boundless Care, Inc. as a provider of non-medical home care in San Jose, California. But a senior person may have some objections due to health or personal reasons. Here are tips you can use to encourage them on proper grooming, especially in bathing:
- Talk about assistance needs
Make sure to ask your aging parent if they would need assistance in taking a bath. When they do, it’s also important to agree on who they would want to assist them. It’s unsurprising for seniors to refuse assistance from strangers. So be prepared to assist them yourself. - Make use of routines
Include their grooming activities with their daily routines. If they have followed this in a routine, it will be less difficult to assist them in taking a bath. - Install safety bars when necessary
Falls are common for seniors in slippery areas such as the bathroom. Make sure you have installed safety bars as necessary. In the absence of this safety equipment, you can get extra assistance from a provider of home care services in California like Boundless Care, Inc. - Prepare bathing needs ahead
When you’re assisting your senior parent in taking a bath, make sure all the bathing paraphernalia are ready and within your reach. You wouldn’t want to leave your loved one alone while you need to get the towel. - Ensure to clean skin folds
A senior person’s skin is sensitive, so make sure that every part is well-cleaned. Make sure to wash the skin folds, particularly in the breasts, stomach folds, or their genitals. - Rinse properly
Soap can be agitating to a senior person’s skin when left there to dry. Wash them thoroughly after soaping so you would only need to pat dry them from the water. - Use skin moisturizer after drying
Still because of skin sensitivity, pat dry your senior family member when they’re done bathing. Rubbing their skin can cause irritation. When they’re dried, apply age-appropriate skin moisturizer to care for their skin. - Bathe sparingly
Most seniors in their later years can be affected with too much exposure to cold, which is a common scenario when one is wet with water. It’s prudent to bathe them sparingly, probably every other day. This frequency also prevents skin drying. - Care for dental health
After taking a bath, spend the time to care for their dental needs. Brush their teeth or dentures. Having a good oral hygiene can also boost their self-esteem on top of having taken a bath.
Do you need help in caring for your senior loved one at home? At Boundless Care, Inc., your elderly family member will be cared for by our experienced staff. Contact us for inquiries.