How Might a Senior Stay on Top of His Personal Hygiene If You’re Not There to Watch Him?

As you get older, a lot of challenges will increase. Some of those may be financial. Some of them may relate to your health. Many of them will involve physical limitations. When you move through your 60s, 70s, and into your 80s (if you are so lucky), you will likely struggle to do some of the tasks that had once been relatively simple.

One of those may involve personal hygiene.

There are many facets to personal hygiene, including taking a shower, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, washing

Assisted Living Fairhope, AL: Personal Hygiene

Assisted Living Fairhope, AL: Personal Hygiene

your face, putting on makeup, and even getting dressed. It may seem almost ridiculous for somebody in their 40s or 50s to assume they could have trouble with these things, but it may happen.

And, it may happen sooner than you realize or even think possible. This might be happening to somebody you love. It might be your spouse, but more likely an aging parent or grandparent.

 

You’ve been helping as best you can.

You might not live close to your mother or father as they get older, but you check in with them from time to time. It might be a weekly phone call. Maybe they’ve connected to their smartphone or tablet and do video chats.

Maybe you live in the same town or close enough so you can stop by and check on them every once in a while. You see the change. Their personal hygiene is not as good as it used to be. You understand for many people (as they get older), it isn’t nearly as important.

Yet, for personal health and well-being, good hygiene is still essential. So, when it reaches a point for an aging senior to require some type of elder care, such as assisted living, how can you be assured that the assisted living community is going to help them the way they need?

 

Speak to an administrator directly.

Not all facilities are the same. You could contact any number of different elder care options, including assisted living, and find a wide range of supports and services they offer.

However, when it comes to personal hygiene, because of its importance for health and well-being — not just physical health, but emotional health as well — you will find most facilities will have staff members who will look out for their residents.

They will check in on them, especially those who might require assistance every day. They will make note of those individuals whose personal hygiene may be in decline. They will ask them direct questions, just to make sure everything is fine on their end.

Plus, if the senior requires help, if they’re dealing with serious physical limitations or have undergone surgery, a health emergency, or some other situation that has limited their physical capabilities, assistance to do those basic personal hygiene tasks will most likely be available.

That’s what assisted living is all about: living life to the fullest with assistance. It’s one of the best elder care options for those seniors who may now be struggling with things that had once been simple.

If you or an aging loved one are considering a move to an Assisted Living in Fairhope, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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