When your elderly family member starts to have trouble with hygiene tasks, you may notice little details. Things like a disheveled appearance or an increase in body odor. The problem is that it might be embarrassing for you to bring up and embarrassing for your senior to address. Help is available from personal care at home, but you need to have the conversation first.
Approach the Situation Carefully and at the Right Time
Most people have considerable embarrassment around hygiene and possible hygiene issues. It might be hard for your senior to tell you that she can’t keep up with hygiene anymore. One of the things to consider is that she may be aware of the things you’ve noticed. But she may not know how to talk about those issues with you. By being careful in your approach, you can ease into the talk and encourage your senior to open up.
Ask What Is More Difficult Now
It’s so important to understand exactly what your elderly family member is having trouble managing. You can share what you’ve noticed, so that you and your senior can address as much of what she’s having issues handling as possible. When you have a fuller understanding of what she’s facing, it’s a lot easier for you to line up the right help for her. Personal care assistance can help her with various situations.
Let Your Senior Share and Try to Listen
One mistake that family caregivers often make is to save embarrassment for both parties by assuming they understand what is happening. But it’s much better if you can let your senior share what she is experiencing and try to listen. That can save you both time and energy, and ensure you help her find the right answers from the start.
Give Her a Variety of Options
Help from home care professionals may feel like a big ask to your senior. Most people have been handling tasks like bathing, grooming, and getting dressed on their own for most of their lives without help. It can feel extremely humbling to now need personal care at home to make those tasks easier and safer. Caregivers can assist your elderly family member with her hygiene needs, while also allowing her to be as independent as she can still be. They’re also going to do everything that they can to protect your senior’s dignity. Helping her isn’t about embarrassing her or pointing out what she can’t do on her own.
Once your elderly family member gets past the idea that accepting this type of help is embarrassing, she’s likely to be glad that you and she worked all this out. Assistance with hygiene issues is important for overall health, as well as mental health and self-confidence.