Home Health Aide Research Paper
Home Health Aide: Bathing How To's
When you senior loved one is not able to safely or effectively bathe themselves, they may need your assistance or the assistance of a home health aide. Even if you have a home health aide's support, it never hurts to understand a few bathing "how to's".
First, understand that Americans typically bathe every day when they are younger, especially during the working years. As we age, our skin does not produce as many oils to the daily bath is not as necessary. Even if a full bath is not necessary, daily cleaning is, and many seniors will still want to bathe quite frequently. At the bare minimum, your loved one's face hands, underarms, and private areas should be washed daily.
For seniors who still have a large degree of mobility, buy require assistance, a shower chair is a great help. Designed to fit in the average tub, the chair provides support and limits the risk of falling while showering, and it is a lot easier to get up and down from the chair than it is to get all of the way up and down in the tub. There …show more content…
are also shower transfer benches that make getting in and out of the tub much safer and easier.
While they are a bit more pricey, walk in tubs are also an option for seniors with the ability to get back and forth to the tub with little or no assistance.
The specially sealed door keeps the water from leaking out once the but is filled. Most tubs come with built in chairs and even jacuzzi jets.
Should your senior loved one be at the stage where they need most of their bathing done for them, safety should still be your number one concern. Make sure you have all of your equipment ready and within reach so you don't have to leave your loved one to find soap or get a towel, etc. Assistive devices and equipment like hair wash trays, hand-held shower heads, etc. are also a great help.
Having everything ready includes having clothes laid out for after the bath. Your loved one may get chilly quite quickly after the bath, and you don't want them to have to wait while you run around looking for what they are going to
wear.
Remember that your loved one's skin is likely sensitive. Be very careful moving them to prevent pressure sores from friction or shearing. You should also choose very soft wash cloths or sponges instead of anything abrasive.
Choosing a soap and shampoo is important. You want to avoid anything that is going to dry out the skin. There are many medicated and PH balanced products on the market today, find the one that works best for your loved one, or ask the doctor or a home health aide for advice.
Talk and be pleasant. Chances are, your loved one is grateful that you are there, but they are not thrilled to need assistance bathing. It may be uncomfortable emotionally to have to bath a parent, but it needs to be done. By talking and keeping a positive attitude, you will make the bath much more pleasant for both of you. Talking your way through the bath is also calming for a loved one with dementia or other disability. Telling them what you are doing and what you will be doing next keeps the anxiety level down.
Your loved one needs to be bathed. By knowing a few bathing how to's and getting some support from a home health aide, they will be clean as a whistle and in good spirits.
When you senior loved one is not able to safely or effectively bathe themselves, they may need your assistance or the assistance of a home health aide. Even if you have a home health aide's support, it never hurts to understand a few bathing "how to's".
First, understand that Americans typically bathe every day when they are younger, especially during the working years. As we age, our skin does not produce as many oils to the daily bath is not as necessary. Even if a full bath is not necessary, daily cleaning is, and many seniors will still want to bathe quite frequently. At the bare minimum, your loved one's face hands, underarms, and private areas should be washed daily.
For seniors who still have a large degree of mobility, buy require assistance, a shower chair is a great help. Designed to fit in the average tub, the chair provides support and limits the risk of falling while showering, and it is a lot easier to get up and down from the chair than it is to get all of the way up and down in the tub. There …show more content…
are also shower transfer benches that make getting in and out of the tub much safer and easier.
While they are a bit more pricey, walk in tubs are also an option for seniors with the ability to get back and forth to the tub with little or no assistance.
The specially sealed door keeps the water from leaking out once the but is filled. Most tubs come with built in chairs and even jacuzzi jets.
Should your senior loved one be at the stage where they need most of their bathing done for them, safety should still be your number one concern. Make sure you have all of your equipment ready and within reach so you don't have to leave your loved one to find soap or get a towel, etc. Assistive devices and equipment like hair wash trays, hand-held shower heads, etc. are also a great help.
Having everything ready includes having clothes laid out for after the bath. Your loved one may get chilly quite quickly after the bath, and you don't want them to have to wait while you run around looking for what they are going to
wear.
Remember that your loved one's skin is likely sensitive. Be very careful moving them to prevent pressure sores from friction or shearing. You should also choose very soft wash cloths or sponges instead of anything abrasive.
Choosing a soap and shampoo is important. You want to avoid anything that is going to dry out the skin. There are many medicated and PH balanced products on the market today, find the one that works best for your loved one, or ask the doctor or a home health aide for advice.
Talk and be pleasant. Chances are, your loved one is grateful that you are there, but they are not thrilled to need assistance bathing. It may be uncomfortable emotionally to have to bath a parent, but it needs to be done. By talking and keeping a positive attitude, you will make the bath much more pleasant for both of you. Talking your way through the bath is also calming for a loved one with dementia or other disability. Telling them what you are doing and what you will be doing next keeps the anxiety level down.
Your loved one needs to be bathed. By knowing a few bathing how to's and getting some support from a home health aide, they will be clean as a whistle and in good spirits.