The elderly population is prone to constant health issues due to poor immunity and slow recovery processes. As an elderly, it becomes difficult to take care of the daily chores due to limited mobility and a lack of flexibility. However, adequate personal care and self-care practices allow you to lead a healthy lifestyle.
For this purpose, you can use different assistive devices to facilitate different aspects like bathing, grooming, or hygiene. Not only will it make you feel confident, but it also enhances your quality of life.
Here’s everything you need to know about personal care and how to achieve it for seniors with mobility issues.
1. Bathroom Safety Essentials
One of the most challenging tasks for the elderly is standing for long hours during personal care activities like bathing. To provide adequate standing support, grab bars can be installed in washrooms
. If you experience pains in the calf muscles, you can get a shower chair or bench.
2. Incontinence Products
Did you know that aging can weaken your anal sphincters and make it difficult to control the urge to urinate? Most elderly people face the issue of incontinence and experience involuntary urination. In such cases, taking care of your personal hygiene and cleaning rituals can be difficult. However, you can try different absorbent products like adult pullups, diapers, and absorbent pads.
3. Toilet Assistance
Another common issue faced by elderly people is related to toilet assistance. As you age, your knee joint weakens and may ache upon squatting. This makes toilet assistance quite important for all aged people. For this purpose, you may consider a raised toilet seat equipped with arms for adequate support. It helps stabilize your back and provides optimum support to the lower limbs.
Moreover, you can opt for a bedside commode in case of severe mobility concerns and excruciating aches. Make sure to research and find suitable assistive devices for specific mobility issues.
4. Proper Support While Dressing
Just like other daily chores, even dressing up requires effort and can lead to complex movement. Some assistance while dressing up can save you from the mild soreness or discomfort caused by the process. Try getting adaptive clothing with velcro closures and elastic waistbands for a smooth dress-up session.
This is because it lets you wear the clothing without zippers or belts. Besides this, a sturdy dressing stick or long shoe horns minimizes the need to bend or move much. Such reliable assistance can make your life easier and enable you to dress up independently.
5. Suitable Grooming Devices
Aging is a complex process with many restrictions related to locomotion and flexibility. It can lower one’s ability to bathe and practice cleaning rituals independently. When it comes to grooming, you can opt for no-rinse soaps or body lotions instead of traditional ones. This facilitates proper cleansing rituals without having to leave one’s bed or bear the hassle of traditional bathing style.
Another common issue faced by the elderly is the inability to brush their hair on their own. This is because of limited arm movement and requires a long-handled brush in place of the usual ones.
6. Mobility Aids
Studies reveal that nearly 35% of elderly people experience mobility issues of varying intensity. Old age comes with different disabilities and frequent aches related to your muscles, joints, and ligaments. In such cases, assistive devices like canes and walkers can be a life-saving aid. It facilitates adequate movement, prevents disuse atrophy of muscles, and instills a sense of confidence within you. Other than this, severe mobility issues demand a cushioned wheelchair with installed arms and footrests.
7. Safe Environmental Modifications
Merely using assistive devices to facilitate mobility isn’t enough. You might want to modify your environment and make it accident-proof. Research suggests that elderly people experience accidental falls due to cluttered spaces or dim lighting. Hence, modifying your surroundings and making them accident-proof is equally important. You can start by decluttering and making the living space free of obstacles.
Further, try to get handrails and ramps installed at various fall-prone areas of your house. In the end, you can work on improving the illumination of your house, especially the areas used at night.
Bottom Line
Personal care is an essential component of your life and ensures a stress-free routine. As an elderly, it becomes even more important to practice self-care and utilize suitable assistive devices. This is due to the mobility issues and muscle weakness that accompany the process of aging. However, you can tackle mobility issues with devices like canes or walkers.
Also, getting adequate grooming devices like long-handled brushes can make hair care more accessible. Toilet assistance in the form of raised commodes or bedside ones can be a life-saving asset for those with severe movement issues. Make sure to get suitable assistance and tackle mobility challenges with ease.
