Personal Care in Cumbria for Elderly or Disabled People 

Personal Care is a term that relates to supporting a person with their personal hygiene. People often need in-home help with personal care if they are older and quite frail or have a disability or a disease. Before home care commences one of our experienced team members will visit you at home to find out what help you need and any preferences relating to your care.

Naturally, people can feel embarrassed and reluctant to accept help with personal hygiene, however, our in-home carers are experienced in providing this type of care. They are trained to treat everyone with dignity, promote their independence and maintain a person’s privacy and confidentiality.

1. Bath and Shower Care 

Our private carer team in Cumbria can assist people with a variety of things such as washing their face and body. Depending on the person’s preferences this could include helping them to have a shower, help to get in and out of the bath, or simply help them wash with a flannel and a bowl of warm water.

Although people can be reluctant at first to get help with bathing it often becomes a luxury they look forward to. Carers can help a person enjoy their bath, have their hair washed, and afterwards apply creams or lotions can often make them feel so much better.

The first step is an assessment of your needs 

Before a carer can support a person to shower or bathe we undertake a risk assessment. This might identify equipment that would be helpful such as a wheeled commode, steps to assist a person into the shower, handrails, or a bath seat.

How long does a home care visit for bathing or showering take? 

Often this depends on the person and their level of independence and how much time they want to spend bathing. Usually, a bath, followed by help to dry and dress, will take around 45 minutes. Showering takes less time and a 30-minute home care call should be sufficient. People with dementia can be reluctant to accept support, so carers need a little longer initially to establish trust.

What if the person has a bandage or dressing? 

Home carers can usually still help people shower or bathe. This is done by placing a plastic cover over the dressing so that it remains dry.

2. Dental Hygiene Care 

Our home carers help people with their dental hygiene including reminding them to brush their teeth or helping them to brush them. They also assist with keeping dentures clean and soaking them overnight. Carers can monitor a person’s dental hygiene and report any concerns to their family or dentist.

3. Toilet and Incontinence Care 

Carers can support people with toileting and continence care including assisting people with their mobility to help them visit the bathroom and providing help with hygiene, pads, catheter, and stoma care. Carers are discreet and will always support a person to maintain their privacy when helping with toileting.

Incontinence care 

In-Home carers support people by applying incontinence pads, assisting them to the toilet, or helping them order their supplies of incontinence products. Carers also help by making the bed and putting “Kylie” pads in place which can absorb any leakages. Kylie pads can be ordered online, they are absorbent covers that can be placed on the bed and easily washed.

Carers will change bedding and absorbent sheets when needed keeping everything lovely and fresh. They will monitor the person’s skin if using a pad and any skin breakages will be referred to a district nurse. Nurses may prescribe creams for the carers to apply each day.

Catheter care 

Many of our clients have urinary catheters and carers support people to manage this. They help by emptying the bag, changing the bag when needed as well as keeping the areas around the tube clean and free from infection. Carers will monitor your supply of catheter bags and other equipment. They work closely with district nurses so that any issues with catheters can be referred to them for further advice.

Stoma Care 

If you have experienced an injury or disease of the bowel then a Stoma bag is fitted to enable you to expel faeces in a different way. Carers can support you to empty a stoma bag and help you keep the stoma site clean.

4. Nail Care 

As we age, our nails can become brittle and elderly people are more likely to experience cracking, breaking, and chipping of their nails. Taking care of your nails can become difficult as you lose dexterity due to age or illness. 

Fingernails/Toenails 

Unfortunately, carers cannot assist with this as sometimes there are risks associated with certain clients, like those who have diabetes. We recommend a professional podiatrist for this type of service and can help you find one. Carers can support you with any prescribed creams that may need applying such as cream for a fungal infection.

Our Private Care Agency in Penrith Can Help

We are a trusted family care agency in Penrith specialising in elderly care, personal care, assisted living, and dementia care services. Our dedicated team provides exceptional support to people in the comfort of their own homes.

If you would like advice about care for someone with personal care needs, contact our care manager, Colette Russell:

colette@edencountrycare.co.uk

Tel: 07889 706 852

You might also like to join our Facebook group Care Begins at Home to discuss these issues with others facing the same care challenges.