Take a moment to close your eyes and visualize yourself like this: You have spent most of your life taking care of and assisting others – as a parent, in your profession, by volunteering in your community, and as a grandparent. After a lifetime of living independently and being in control of making your own decisions, you’ve unexpectedly aged to the point that you now are the person in need of help with bathing and other senior personal care tasks. Imagine the sense of loss, vulnerability, and fear.
If you’re taking care of a senior loved one, it can be helpful to place yourself in their shoes when experiencing problems related to helping the person with personal hygiene tasks. The struggles your loved one is feeling are real, and a little patience and empathy can go a long way towards promoting a sense of peace about accepting your help. Let’s face it: permitting someone to help with such personal services as bathing, dressing, and bathroom needs is awkward at best, and can feel as though dignity is ripped right away from the person if not managed sensitively.
At Dakota Home Care, we’re very familiar with these challenges, and suggest keeping the SMILE concept in mind to help these sensitive situations feel more comfortable for both you and your senior loved one:
Safety: Assistive devices such as electric razors, grab bars, a bathtub chair and a handheld shower can be beneficial.
Modesty: Ensure privacy in the room and maintain modesty as much as possible.
Independence: Empower seniors to retain the ability to make choices, to express their own personal style, and to do as much as they are able to independently.
Levity: Be accepting of imperfection. Make it fun.
Etiquette: Treat the individual with dignity, as a respected adult.
Dakota Home Care’s trained, experienced home care specialists provide respectful personal care assistance for seniors. Our caregivers are kind, fully trained, and background checked – so you can rest assured that your older loved one is always safe and comfortable in our care. Just a few of the various ways we can help include:
- Bathing, getting dressed and other personal care assistance
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Planning and preparing meals
- Transportation and accompaniment on errands, appointments, and fun activities
- Mobility assistance
- And much more – personalized to each individual’s particular needs
Reach out to us any time at (877) 691-0015 to learn more about how an in-home caregiver in Bismarck, Mandan, and Fargo from Dakota Home Care can help make life easier and more comfortable for someone you love. We offer a free consultation, right in the comfort of home; call to schedule yours today!