Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, but it’s not the only one. All forms of dementia share one commonality. As the disease progresses, grooming and hygiene become harder and harder for the person to handle. As the family caregiver, you’ll have to step in and help.
How do you help your mom with something that may cause distress and anxiety? You can’t simply stop having her take showers, brush her teeth, and get dressed. Instead, use these tips to make it easier on her and yourself.
Establish a Simple Routine
Establish a routine that is simple and to the point. Don’t try to do extras. Get the bathroom set up before you even led her into the bathroom. Heat the area, set up the products you need, get the water warmed up, and bring your mom in.
Make it a shower that involves simple, quick steps, and nothing extra. After a shower, her favorite lotion is applied. Then, she’s dressed, her teeth brushed, and her hair is dried and styled in the manner she prefers.
Follow the same routine every time so that she can try to remember the steps. Let her do as much for herself as she can.
Use Recognizable Products
Stick to products that she’s used often. If you go to purchase her favorite body wash and find they’re rebranded the package design, pour it into the bottle you’re replacing. It’s less confusing to her if the item looks right.
Consider Her Sense of Modesty
Modesty can play a part in how comfortable your mom is during the shower. Help her undress, but remember that she’s going to be uncomfortable undressing in front of you. Give her a thin towel or lightweight robe she can wear in the shower. As you wash one area, she keeps the rest of her covered.
Move to the Other Aspects of Hygiene and Grooming
Once a shower is over, move on to the other daily routines like brushing and flossing her teeth. Again, use products that are familiar to her. If she tends to bite your fingers when you’re flossing her teeth, invest in a water flosser.
She may need her fingernails or toenails trimmed. That’s something you can do or take her to a podiatrist for foot exams and have the doctor do it. A personal care at home aide can also trim her nails if she doesn’t like you helping.
Arrange Help
Helping your mom isn’t always the best choice for a family caregiver. Your mom may be especially agitated by you seeing her in a vulnerable state. She might be less agitated if you arrange to have a personal care aide help your mom with grooming and hygiene.
With the help of a personal care at home aide, your mom’s hygiene and grooming needs are maintained. That’s important for her health. You can focus your attention on everything else that needs to be completed each day.
If you or an aging loved one are considering personal care at home in Sudbury, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare + today. Call (617) 237-0867.
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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