Personal Care for the Elderly

Author

COMFORT KEEPERS MN

Posted on

Jun 20, 2022

Book/Edition

Minnesota - Twin Cities Metro Area

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Personal Care

Personal care is a broad term that supports basic personal hygiene and activities of daily living, including dressing, grooming, and toileting. Comfort Keepers’ trained caregivers assist with personal care needs ranging from stand-by assistance to full care depending on each client’s individual needs.

This can include basic tasks, such as bathing, mobility assistance, incontinence and toileting care, preparing and serving meals, to more hands-on personal care including position changes for those clients that are bedbound and specialized care for those with memory issues or cognitive impairments, fall risk assessment and prevention, change in condition monitoring.

Personal home care services can also include assistance with outings, social events, shopping trips, and other activities of interest to maintain engagement both physically and emotionally.

Comfort Keepers can develop a custom care plan for your loved one that includes physical safety and wellbeing, emotional health, and socialization. Our goal is to help our clients have the best quality of life while maintaining their independence at home.

Plans can include:


Bathing and Hygiene

Comfort Keepers’ goal is to assist our clients with their personal care routines so they can look and feel their best. Studies show undeniable benefits for seniors’ self-esteem and emotional fitness to have regular hygiene and grooming. We are here to help clients who fear falling while bathing or have limitations that make grooming tasks difficult.

These tasks may include:

  • Showering and bathing
  • Getting dressed, including shoes and accessories (belt, watch, jewelry, etc.)
  • Brushing teeth or dentures
  • Styling and brushing hair
  • Makeup application
  • Shaving with an electric razor

With something like bathing, consistency is important — being able to bathe daily, or near-daily, is essential to staying healthy. Health issues can be caused by a failure to wash frequently enough, yet senior bathing is a task that gets harder as the years pass.

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Fall Prevention and Mobility Assistance

Avoid unnecessary risks in the bathroom and around the house. Bathroom features are not always designed with seniors in mind and can be a fall risk. This is especially true for surfaces that may be wet and slippery after a bath or shower. Reducing falls in the home is one of the top safety concerns that seniors and their families face.

Our caregivers greatly reduce this risk by providing mobile assistance inside the home and helping to keep the home safe from fall risks. There are many benefits to having extra hands for mobility assistance around the house, including:

  • Less risk with trained help and a steady arm
  • Less temptation to skip out on housekeeping tasks or personal hygiene, like getting to the bathroom to bathe or getting around the kitchen for dinner
  • Companionship to help with chores not only makes tasks easier to complete, but also brings comfort just in having someone to talk to and socialize.

Transferring and Positioning

As we age, moving around the house can get more difficult. One of our top priorities is helping our clients move around their homes comfortably. This may include getting in and out of bed, chairs, and wheelchairs.

Proper transferring and positioning can contribute to reducing bedsore risks. This also helps reduce muscle atrophy, while encouraging proper breathing and digestion. It can also lower the risk of falls and injuries.


Toileting and Incontinence Care

We understand the sensitive nature of toileting and incontinence care for our clients. Our caregivers offer compassionate, dignified help with these personal aspects of daily living.

At Comfort Keepers, we can provide a senior incontinence care plan and help with daily hygiene. By building a trusted relationship, our caregivers can help your loved ones in the comfort of home. A big part of dealing with incontinence care is simply remaining clean and comfortable.

Incontinence can be a difficult issue for a senior to discuss. If the senior or a loved one is not willing to ask for help, hygiene issues can arise and may compound over time.


Senior Nutrition & Meal Prep

Our caregivers can support physician-prescribed nutrition and diet plans. We also provide assistance with grocery shopping and meal preparation that meets nutritional needs or accommodates special dietary restrictions.

It is not uncommon for seniors to be on a restricted diet. A doctor or a nutritionist may include special dietary needs in a wellness plan, which can include limits on what can be consumed, or in what quantities. Common situations include:

  • Different medications can have food restrictions or sensitivities associated with them, and physician-created nutrition plans typically account for these sensitivities. Timing of medication doses can be a critical part of a care plan. Timing can be a concern, especially if a senior is dealing with physical limitations or memory loss.
  • Proper nutrition can be an issue for seniors living alone. Moving around the kitchen and lifting pots and pans may be harder than it once was, and as a result, healthier home-cooked meals are challenging. Instead, those meals may be substituted with fast food, packaged food, or simply less calorie consumption. It's especially important for the elderly to consume enough calories and the right nutrients to avoid obesity, excessive weight loss, and dehydration.
  • Dehydration can lead to a number of serious problems if left unchecked. It continues to be one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization among older adults. Eight 8-ounce glasses is generally considered the standard when it comes to proper daily intake, but more may be needed depending on prescribed medications or health conditions.

Whether someone is seeking help following a special diet or looking for companionship in the kitchen, our caregivers can provide the assistance necessary for wholesome at-home meals. Our goal is to make mealtime both healthy and enjoyable.

Our uplifting personal care services can also include:

  • Care for those with memory issues or cognitive impairments
  • Medication reminders and management
  • Assisting with errands or transportation to appointments
  • Support for physician prescribed exercise programs
  • Change in condition monitoring
  • Fall risk assessment and assistance with fall prevention

We strive to provide the highest quality of care. If you or a loved one could benefit from companionship, personal care or any of our specialized services, we would love to talk to you today.  You can reach us at 763-307-6882 or visit our website at https://www.comfortkeepers.com/offices/minnesota/edina


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Its crucial to differentiate this from Personal Care Homes (PCH), which are residential facilities that provide housing, meals, supervision, and assistance, but typically do not offer third-party reimbursement for family caregivers providing care within them.Instead, paid family caregiving for PCA services in Pennsylvania primarily operates through various Medicaid waivers, also known as Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. These waivers are designed to provide direct assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and household services for older adults or individuals with disabilities who live in their own homes or the homes of loved ones. The services provided under these waivers are what constitute Personal Care Assistance in the context of paid family caregiving.Key Pennsylvania Medicaid Waivers for PCAPennsylvania offers several Medicaid waivers that facilitate paid family caregiving for Personal Care Assistance, each with specific eligibility criteria and rules regarding family members.1. Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver: Getting Paid to Care for Loved OnesThe Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver is Pennsylvanias most common Medicaid managed care program that facilitates paid family caregiving for PCA. It is designed for individuals aged 21 or older who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare and require a nursing facility level of care. 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How Hiring a Caregiver Can Truly Transform Daily Life

How Hiring a Caregiver Can Truly Transform Daily Life As our loved ones age, simple everyday actionslike getting dressed, preparing a meal, or remembering medicationscan turn into significant challenges. This is where hiring a caregiver becomes not just helpful but life-changing. In-home care organizations such as Seniors Helping Seniors Pittsburgh provide compassionate, personalized support, empowering seniors and alleviating burdens for family caregivers. Understanding Activities of Daily Living Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) refer to the essential tasks we all need to handle routinely: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and mobility. When any of these become difficult, safety, health, and independence are directly affected. Yet, with help from a caring caregiver, seniors dont just survivethey thrive. What Makes Seniors Helping Seniors Pittsburgh Special? Based in Northeastern Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania, Seniors Helping Seniors is more than a serviceits a community. They employ senior caregivers who deeply understand aging because theyre experiencing it too seniorshelpingseniors.com+9locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+9locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+9seniorsbluebook.com+1seniorsbluebook.com+1. No strangers in suitsjust friends who relate. The local offices offer full-spectrum in-home care services, including: Personal care & daily living assistancehelp with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating/drinking, and safe mobility locations.seniorshelpingseniors.comseniorshelpingseniors.com+5locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+5seniorsbluebook.com+5 Meal preparation & grocery shoppingensuring nutritious, home-cooked meals without the hassle seniorsbluebook.com+1seniorsbluebook.com+1 Medication reminderskeeping daily routines on track members.pghnorthchamber.com+8locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+8seniorsbluebook.com+8 Transportation & errandsrides to appointments, social visits, errands, and even outings seniorshelpingseniors.com+8locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+8seniorsbluebook.com+8 Light housekeepingcovering laundry, dusting, dishes, vacuuming so the home stays safe and comfortable locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+2seniorsbluebook.com+2seniorsbluebook.com+2 Companionship & socializationfostering emotional well-being through shared hobbies and warm conversation locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+5locations.seniorshelpingseniors.com+5seniorsbluebook.com+5 The Real-Life Difference Take Mary, who recently shared: My dependable and friendly Seniors Helping Seniors caregiver provides transportation to my scheduled appointments as well as taking care of household errands... 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Welcome to Comfort Keepers of Edina, Minnesota, where warm hearts and helping hands are there for you and your family! We are proud to offer industry-leading in-home care services and around-the-clock care to seniors in Edina and the surrounding area. Our in-home care services include companion care, homemaking services, 24-hour care, respite care, hospice support and private duty nursing. In-home senior care in Edina, Minnesota from Comfort Keepers provides quality, professional, and compassionate care that aims to preserve independence and contribute to a better life. Each individual we provide in-home care to has a unique set of needs, and we pride ourselves on making sure they receive the best senior care possible. We create a custom care plan that accounts for all situations, concerns, and requirements. Our care plans include a variety of in-home care services and can be arranged for short-term or long-term support. At Comfort Keepers, we take a holistic approach to in-home care and build our services on our unique approach to senior care, Interactive Caregiving. The goal of Interactive Caregiving is to keep seniors and other adults engaged and, with the help of a Comfort Keepers caregiver, continue to pursue passions. Our office was named a 2023 Minneapolis Top Workplace.