Personal Care and Activities of Daily Living
What this domain covers
Personal care means helping a client with activities of daily living (ADLs) - bathing, dressing, grooming, oral care, toileting, eating, transferring, and walking - while supporting instrumental activities (IADLs) such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, and transportation. The exam expects you to know the safe sequence of each task and to protect privacy, dignity, and skin integrity throughout.
Concepts candidates must know
- Independence: set up supplies and supervise; assist only with what the client cannot do.
- Dressing: dress the weak or affected side first, undress it last.
- Bathing: test water temperature, never leave a client alone in the tub or shower, and inspect skin for redness or breakdown.
- Pressure injuries: reposition at least every two hours, keep skin clean and dry, and report reddened areas that do not blanch.
- Perineal care: clean front to back to prevent infection.
- Foot care: an aide may wash and dry feet but generally may not cut the toenails of a client with diabetes or poor circulation.
Traps
Taking over tasks the client can still perform; skipping oral care because the client is NPO; forgetting to close doors or drape the client; charting refused care as if it were given.
Rule of thumb
Encourage, don't replace. Offer the client the chance to do each step, and document what was actually done.