Dressing & Grooming Tips

Looking Good...and Feeling Better!
At first glance, getting ready for the day is so clear-cut and easy that we often don't give it a second thought. We simply get dressed, brush our teeth, comb our hair and perform all the other tasks we need to do to make ourselves presentable.

For people who have physical or mental impairments, dressing and grooming tasks are often difficult to manage alone. Sometimes they might take their frustration out on the people around them.That's where caregivers come in. With their help and encouragement, clients won't feel discouraged by their appearance or ashamed that they can't dress privately by themselves.

The Benefits of Good Grooming

• Letting clients choose their own clothing gives them feelings of being independent and in charge.
• Cheering clients on to do their best while dressing supports a team spirit and gives them a feeling of belonging.
• Allowing clients to do as much as they can by themselves helps their self-reliance grow.
• Caregivers voicing their approval during dressing and grooming gives clients a sense of being valued.
• Looking good boosts each client's self esteem and may even help a bad mood disappear!
• Caregivers dressing their clients helps protect the skin from injury and maintain proper body temperature.
• Caregivers making sure their clients' clothing fits properly keeps all of their body systems unrestricted.
• Caregivers brushing their clients' hair promotes a healthy scalp and strong hair.
• Providing daily mouth care prevents the onset of painful mouth conditions and protects the mouth from oral diseases.
• Caregivers keeping their clients' fingernails trimmed with no ragged edges prevents scratches and cuts that can cause infection.
• Caregivers reporting toenail changes helps their clients get care from a podiatrist as needed. This can prevent complications for people with diabetes, heart conditions or poor circulation.
• Caregivers moving their clients' joints and muscles during the grooming process helps maintain body movement and prevents contractures.

Bottom line...when people look good, they generally feel better!

Clues that matter
Dressing and grooming tasks give caregivers daily opportunities to look for clues that trouble may be brewing:

• Be aware of clients' facial expressions. Clients may tell their caregiver that they have no pain, but their faces may reveal the real story.
• Clients may get in and out of clothes several times a day. While assisting them, caregivers should look over the whole body, making note of any areas of redness, rashes, bed sores or other changes in the skin.
• Caregivers should report any unusual body odors. A strange odor may be a symptom of an illness.
• Some health conditions cause the body to swell. Caregivers should watch for signs of swollen hands (such as tight rings) and swollen feet (such as shoes and socks suddenly being too small).
• As caregivers brush their clients' hair, check for head lice. Look for white eggs known as "nits". They look like small bits of dandruff, but do not wash or flake off. Instead, they stick firmly to strands of hair.
• If caregivers provide nail care, look for white or yellow areas on finger and toe nails to determine if clients may have nail fungus.

Adaptive Clothing Tips
Besides being attractive and fun, adaptive clothing gets the job done. Here is some helpful information about adaptive clothing:

• Pants and dresses with cutaway seats aid those with limited mobility. Wrap-around skirts and shawls are safer for wheel-chair bound women.
• Loose tops, sweaters, and bottoms that button in front are good choices for clients with arthritis.
• Front closing bras are useful for women who have limited use of their upper arms.
• Track suits with elasticized waists make dressing easier for clients with joint and muscle problems -- and for those who have short term memory lapses.
• Several outfits that look the same work for clients who insist on wearing the same clothes every day.
• Disposable underwear provides dignity for clients who are incontinent.
• Caregivers may want to avoid dressing clients with accessories like belts and scarves. They can be confusing for some clients, and difficult for others to put on.
• If possible, use clothing that fastens with Velcro or zippers rather than buttons, snaps or laces.
• Keep in mind that well-fitting non-slip shoes make walking easier.
• Most people find slip-on shoes to be simpler to put on and take off.

To Your In-Home Care & Health Success!
https://www.abetterdayhomecareservicesinc.com