Personal Care

Do you need some additional help to take care of personal needs?

Women sitting on a bench

Let’s face it, no one wants helps with bathing or getting dressed. It’s not quite like that short scalp massage you receive from the hairdresser, but it may be a necessity if you have injured yourself, are weak from a recent surgery or illness, or have a disability. Being clean and wearing clean clothes just makes you feel better—it’s right up there with clean fresh sheets on a bed after you have been sick. And if you are feeling weak, you may need some help to get out of bed or into the shower.

Personal hygiene

Personal hygiene is also a health issue, so it’s critically important to keep your body clean. If you need help temporarily after a recent hospitalization or are permanently unable to safely bathe yourself due to progression of a disease, look into personal care service. It’s not all about a bath, personal care also includes dental hygiene, grooming, and dressing assistance so that you feel refreshed. Personal care professionals can help you move from a bed to a chair or even provide standby assistance while you’re in the shower. While a private homecare agency is never allowed to dispense medication out of a pill bottle, they can assist you in other ways, like reminding you that it is time to take your medications. (Note that if you need more help take your medications or other nursing services, Empowerline can also connect you to home health agencies that are licensed to provide these more complex services.) It is important to keep in mind personal care service is non-medical and is not the same as skilled nursing care. So, for example, the personal care assistants who help you will not provide wound care, give injections, clip finger or toenails (because of the potential danger to individuals with diabetes), or administer medications. A supervisor will assure that services are received in accordance with a plan of care that you develop with the agency. You can also include your family or other trusted persons to help develop your plan of care.