Looking After Yourself
Personal care can include activities such as showering, bathing, grooming, dressing and managing your medications. Maintaining your personal care can sometimes be difficult for a number of reasons, including:
- Bending and reaching to different parts of the body while showering, bathing and dressing may be painful and difficult.
- Difficulty gripping various items for personal care, such as sponges, soap, hairdryers and toothbrushes.
- Activities that require repetitive movements (such as brushing your teeth and scrubbing) may cause pain and discomfort.
Options
Looking after yourself can be made easier by using different techniques or products. There are a number of different options to consider:
- The first step may be to consider changing the way you do things, such as sitting rather than standing to cut toenails, brush your teeth, or to apply make-up
- If another person is available and willing to assist you, then you may wish to ask them to help you with difficult, painful or tiring tasks.
- A piece of equipment may be the solution to your problems or concerns.
Equipment for Personal Care
A number of small aids are available to assist you with personal care tasks. Examples include:
- Dressing
- Buttons can often be very difficult to manage. One option is to replace buttons on cuffs with a cuff extender or a hook and loop fastening. Alternatively, you could consider using a button hook.
- Zipper aids are available to make it easier to do up zips.
- Doing up shoelaces can sometimes be difficult. Elastic shoelaces that remain permanently tied and coil shoelaces are options to consider.
- Shoehorns are available to aid with putting on and pulling off shoes.
- If these alternatives are still difficult to manage, you could consider slip-on shoes or shoes with hook and loop tape openings. Many come with a non-slip rubber sole for good grip to help you walk and stand safely.
- Dressing sticks and sock and stocking aids can assist with getting dressed and putting on socks and stockings.
Mouth and Nail Care
- A nailbrush with suction cups on the bottom can be useful for cleaning nails with one hand. A nail clipper that is secured onto a piece of plastic helps to stabilise it for one-handed use.
- An electric or battery operated toothbrush can make cleaning your teeth easier.
- Suction denture brushes are available for cleaning dentures with one hand.
Bathing
- Soap-on-line and wash mittens with a pocket to hold the soap can assist with bathing.
- Long-handled sponges and toe washers can be used to wash and dry between your toes. These eliminate the need to bend over to complete these tasks.
- Long-handled hairbrushes and bottom wipers can also be used by those who find bending and reaching difficult.
Other Equipment
Other pieces of equipment are also available to assist with maintaining your independence within personal care tasks. These include:- Shower chairs and stools can be used with a hand-held shower hose to reduce the risk of slipping on a wet floor. Shower chairs and stools can also be used for sitting whilst drying and getting dressed.
- Wooden or plastic bath boards can be fitted over the bath to sit on when bathing and showering. These are particularly useful in bathrooms where the shower is located over the bath.
- Non-slip bath mats can be placed in wet areas to reduce the risk of slipping on the floor. Non-slip floor treatments can also be applied to your existing floor surface.
- Grab rails can assist to move safely within the shower, and can also provide extra help with getting on and off of the toilet, and in and out of the bath.
- Toilet seat raisers are designed to increase the height of your toilet seat to assist with getting on and off of the toilet.
- Shampoo basins can be used for washing your hair outside of the shower or bath.
- Mirrors with magnified lenses may be handy for those who find it difficult to see. Mirrors with pivots and flexible handles for those hard-to-view places are also available.
- Pill splitters and crushers and various medication dosage boxes are available to assist with organising and managing your medication.
For further information or to make an appointment to visit the display please contact the Independent Living Centre: /www.ilc.asn.au/
