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Overcoming Fear of Personal Care Needs - Bathing and Dressing Care

A common fear for aging adults is the need for assistance with personal care needs. However, health and well-being will suffer by avoiding personal care assistance and neglecting these needs.

Did you know that many diseases and conditions can be prevented or controlled through appropriate personal hygiene and by frequently washing parts of the body and hair with soap and clean, running water? Good body-washing practices can prevent the spread of hygiene-related diseases.*

The truth of the matter is that personal care is, well, personal. When you need help with dressing, bathing, continence, or other personal hygiene needs, it can be thought of as uncomfortable or awkward. You may not consider yourself to be a modest person, but the thought of another person helping you with the most personal parts of your day can be intimidating.

We get it. We know that this can be weird, especially if you do not know the person coming to assist you. However, we want to encourage you to let go of that fear and understand that personal care assistance is focused on your health and safety.

Here is how we would start to overcome that fear of letting a caregiver assist with personal care needs:

Meet your caregiver and try to do an activity together first.

If you have the time to spare a few hours before your caregiver assists you with any personal care needs, we would strongly suggest taking that time to sit down with your caregiver and get to know them a bit first. Ease yourself into the uncomfortable part.

Work towards trust and understanding with your caregiver.

If you continue receiving care, it is important to build trust and understanding with a caregiver so that you can continue to work towards a higher comfort level. Build a friendship and let them know more about you and your family. It might also help you to learn a bit more about your caregiver, so that you start to feel more like friends rather than a caregiver in the field.

Understand that your caregiver is a professional in the field.

While you are working towards building that trust and friendship, it’s important to remember that your caregiver is an understanding and compassionate professional who has been carefully trained, is understanding, and compassionate.

Remember that personal care is not only important for your health, but can make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

While we may think we would feel better just being left alone and staying in our dirty clothes just one day longer, we forget how great it feels to put on a fresh outfit and to feel clean. It can revitalize us and make us more interested in visiting with our friends and family, or going out to the grocery store.

As we start to contemplate the overall importance of getting assistance for personal care and our own comfort level with letting someone into our personal lives, we need to really assess safety, health, and quality of life. Unfortunately we can’t promise that you won’t be nervous or afraid the first or second time you receive assistance, but once you find a way to balance the comfort and build trust with your caregiver, you will be amazed at how easy it can be to trust another person with your personal care needs to not only feel better, but to stay healthier.

If you are still hesitating or need more questions answered, we want to encourage you to reach out to us to start that conversation. We can walk you through our process of hiring compassionate, skilled, and compatible caregivers. We can discuss the awkwardness and encourage you to take that leap of faith. A Fedelta representative is available 24/7 for your call at (206) 362-2366. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

* CDC – Body Hygiene – http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/body/