What is Personal Care?

What is Personal Care?

For clients requiring a higher level of physical assistance, personal care includes all available services under companion care, plus specialised assistance with one or more of the six basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), as defined below:

• Eating
• Bathing
• Dressing
• Grooming, including oral hygiene
• Toileting and Incontinence Care
• Ambulation/Mobility, including transferring from bed to chair and back

Because of the increased physical interaction and potential for complexity when providing personal care, Right at Home carers have QQI Level 5 in Health Care or equivalent level training and experience, affording an added level of assurance that they understand how to interact safely with a frail older person. However, there is more to providing quality personal care than safety alone.

At Right at Home, we recognise that, no matter the age, there is a strong desire to be able to continue to manage one's own personal care, particularly in the areas of bathing, toileting, dressing, and grooming. Family members may also struggle when confronted with the need to step in and assist a loved one with, or perform tasks related to, personal hygiene. Understanding the sensitivity around privacy and modesty is the first step in successfully assisting with personal care.

A Team Approach

Our approach to personal care services is to encourage self-care to the extent possible by providing guidance, prompting and assistance at the minimal level required. The goal is for clients to continue to perform as many of their personal care tasks as possible, with caring assistance. Patience and allowing ample time to complete personal care are key to a successful relationship between client and carer.

If you would like to learn more about Right at Home's personal care services, please call us at 01 495 4030 or contact usand we will be glad to help.