Topic Overview

Helping someone with personal care involves a lot of daily tasks. If it’s been a while since you did day-to-day caregiving—or you’ve never done it—you might not know all the things you need to do and how to do them. This information gives an overview of the daily or weekly care a person needs.

Bathing

• Helping with a shower
• Helping with a sink bath
• Giving a bed bath

Bladder and bowel care

• Using adult underwear for incontinence
• Using a bedpan or urinal
• Using a bedside commode (toilet)
• Caring for an indwelling urinary catheter

Cleaning up and reducing germs

• Reducing germs and infection in the home
• Using disposable gloves
• Washing soiled clothes and linens
• Cleaning up diarrhea

Helping at meal time

• Helping someone with eating

Home safety

• Making a home safe

Moving someone in bed

• Turning someone in bed

Personal care and grooming

• Dental care for older adults
• Hair washing and care
• Shaving
• Caring for fingernails
• Caring for feet and toenails

Skin care

• Caring for the skin of an immobile adult
• Preventing rashes in the groin area