Removing all tripping hazards, eating a nutritious diet, utilizing mobility solutions when necessary – these are all methods of keeping seniors safe and healthy. But just how important is maintaining personal hygiene?
If you’re the caregiver of an elderly person, you’re likely no stranger to the fact that personal hygiene upkeep can be a challenge for him/her. What can you do to help? It’s important to always bear in mind that maintaining personal hygiene is a key to senior health.
It helps to grow their confidence.
“I don’t want to go.” “I’m not interested.” “Leave me out of it.” Do any of these responses to invites to social gatherings sound familiar? Even though you may not be attending events the way you did pre-COVID-19, your elderly loved one’s reluctance to socialize may be a result of his/her poor personal hygiene. By helping the senior in your life to stay clean, you may be helping him/her to take great strides in regaining self-confidence.
“Looking good and feeling great shouldn’t stop when you get older,” believes Louise Savoie of Cam Caregivers, “But a lot of seniors seem to think that way. Well, that’s not true at all! Even a simple shower and a fresh change of clothes can greatly improve how a person can look. And most of all, it can make a senior loved one appreciate themselves better, leading to a higher level of self-confidence, as well!”
It assists with preventing the onset of chronic conditions.
We all know how important it is to keep seniors safe from harm and poor health. Naturally, their advanced ages make them more susceptible to injury-causing accidents and the onset of diseases. As Senior Homecare by Angels reminds us, seniors with chronic conditions can suffer from such health problems as pneumonia, asthma and heart disease.
“Since germs cause the common cold and they are spread by our hands, it is necessary your loved one keeps their hands clean,” their website reminds us, “Every time they are emptying trash, eating, using the toilet, or playing with their pet, they need to wash their hands to remove germs from the skin and stop them from spreading.”
It works to avoid skin infections.
As we get older, we more often see visible signs of aging such as wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, freckles, moles and other changes to pigmentation. In addition, our aging skin becomes thinner and blood vessels become visible. Our pores may also increase in size. Not to mention, many medications taken by seniors cause the skin to become fragile. This makes it easier for germs to invade. Simply put, keeping clean helps to keep skin infections at bay.
“Proper cleansing removes bacteria that causes odor and possible infections,” reports Miami Home Care Services, “Going over your whole body regularly keeps you aware of any irregularities and finding issues early gives you the best chance at curing them.”
At Advantage Home Health Solutions, we offer a wide variety of bath safety products to help making keeping clean a lot easier for seniors. For more information, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact page.