Personal Care Skills and Activities of Daily Living
Personal care is not a list of chores; every task is a chance to protect dignity, privacy, and independence. Before any care, knock, identify yourself, explain what you are going to do, and get permission. Encourage the resident to do whatever they can for themselves - the goal is function, not speed.
Know the standard routines. A complete bed bath proceeds from cleanest to dirtiest: face and neck, then arms and trunk, then legs, then back, then perineum last. Wash eyes from the inner corner outward, using a different area of the cloth for each eye. Use warm, not hot, water and check it with your own skin. Keep the resident covered, exposing only the part being washed. Perineal care always goes front to back, away from the urethra.
Dressing follows the weak-side rule: put clothing on the affected (weak) side first and remove it from that side last. When applying a gown, put the sleeve on the weak side first. Offer the bedpan or toilet every two hours and before and after meals, and answer call lights promptly - elimination needs are a leading reason residents try to get up alone.
Positioning matters: turn and reposition an immobile resident at least every two hours, use pillows to keep body parts aligned, and inspect the skin over bony prominences each time. Report redness that does not blanch, skin tears, rashes, swelling, or a change in the resident's usual behavior.
Trap to watch: answer choices that have you do everything for the resident. Aides are tested on promoting self-care and on the order of steps - washing the perineum first is always wrong.
Rule of thumb: clean to dirty, top to bottom, weak side first when dressing.