Personal care at home

What is personal care?

Personal care is the hands-on part of non-medical home care: help with the everyday activities that care teams and insurers call activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating and moving from one place to another. It is different from companionship, which is supervision and social contact, and from skilled care such as wound care or injections, which a licensed nurse provides through a home health agency. Pennsylvania's home care rules require caregivers who give personal care to show competency in bathing, grooming, transfers, toileting and assistance with self-administered medications before they work with a client.

Many families first look into personal care for an elderly parent when Mom or Dad starts skipping showers, wearing the same clothes for days, or struggling on the stairs. Long-term care insurance policies also use these same activities to decide when benefits begin, which is why our care plans and daily notes record them clearly.

Bathing and showering

The bathroom is where many falls happen and where many people most want privacy. Our caregivers set up the room first (towels within reach, a shower chair or bench if you have one, a non-slip mat, warm water tested), then help only as much as needed. Some clients want someone in the doorway; others need help washing their back and feet. We follow the routine the person prefers, morning or evening, shower or sponge bath. Read more about Bathing Assistance.

Dressing

Arthritis, a stroke, a shoulder replacement or Parkinson's disease can make buttons, zippers, socks and shoes slow and frustrating. A caregiver helps lay out clothes the night before, assists with the steps that are hard, and leaves the rest to the client. The goal is that your parent chooses what to wear and looks like themselves when a neighbor stops by.

Grooming

Brushing and styling hair, shaving, trimming and filing nails, applying lotion, and putting on a favorite scent are easy to let slip. They matter for comfort and for dignity. Trimming toenails for someone with diabetes or circulation problems is a job for a podiatrist rather than a non-medical caregiver, and we will point you in that direction.

Oral and denture care

Daily brushing, flossing support, and cleaning and storing dentures are part of the morning and evening routine. Caregivers watch for signs worth mentioning to the family, such as sore gums or a denture that no longer fits, so the dentist can see it early.

Toileting and continence care

Help getting to the bathroom on time, changing briefs, cleaning up after an accident, and keeping skin clean and dry. We handle this matter-of-factly and discreetly. For many families, night-time bathroom trips are the reason they first look at overnight care.

Mobility and transfers

Getting out of bed, up from a low recliner, onto the toilet, or into the car for an appointment all involve a transfer, and each is a moment when a fall can happen. Caregivers are trained in careful transfer techniques, keep walkers and canes within reach, and walk alongside clients around the house and to the mailbox. If a physical therapist has given exercises, the caregiver can remind and encourage, though the therapy itself comes from the home health team.

How personal care starts

1. Call (717) 695-2704. A care coordinator asks what a typical day looks like and where help is needed.
2. In-home consultation. We look at the bathroom, the bedroom and the stairs with you and agree which tasks the caregiver will do.
3. Written care plan listing each personal care task, the schedule and the client's preferences.
4. Caregiver match based on needs, personality and, where it matters to the client, gender of the caregiver for bathing and toileting.

Personal care is often combined with Meal Preparation, Medication Reminders and Light Housekeeping in the same visit.