Guidance on Assisting with Personal Care
5 min read
Health and social care workers support a wide variety of people in all stages of life and in all different settings. For personal care assistants, providing personal care to individuals is likely to occur in the person’s private home, so it’s important that the care you provide is tailored to them and their individual way of living. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about personal care in health and social care, outlining what personal care is and why it’s important. We’ll also give some examples of personal care tasks and provide you with guidelines for providing personal care in the best possible way.
What is Personal Care?
Personal care is the support and supervision given to a person in regards to their intimate care – whether it’s support with the physical hygiene of their body, their mental and emotional wellbeing or their everyday private life activities. Everyone has unique needs, preferences and abilities, so personal care means providing tailored help to those who need assistance in their daily lives.
Personal care can be given to anyone with additional needs, of any age and any background. For example, personal care may be beneficial to people who:
- Have recently been discharged from hospital or who are recovering from surgery.
- Have mobility difficulties because of their age or a disability.
- Live alone and need an extra pair of hands with daily tasks.
- Have memory loss or dementia and need help remembering routines.
- Struggle with keeping up their personal hygiene.
- Require regular clinical care due to an illness or disability.
- Need palliative, end-of-life care.
Some people who require personal care may need a visit from a nurse once a week to help with a specific task, others may need a nurse to arrive at the same time every morning to help with a certain routine and others may require a live-in carer to support them 24/7.
Personal care doesn’t only have to be provided by a nurse or care worker – it can also be carried out by close friends or relatives of the individual, depending on their needs and wishes. However, some personal care activities can be uncomfortable for family members and friends to carry out, in which case a trained nurse or carer may be better suited.
Why is Personal Care Important?
Personal care is important because it promotes a person-centered approach to care. Person-centred care means treating everyone as an individual who has individual wants, needs and preferences. It means tailoring the support you provide based on each particular person’s circumstances and being mindful of their values and priorities.
Personal care in health and social care is also important because it:
- Improves a person’s quality of life. Personal care helps them to maintain independence and allows a person to continue living their life how they want to, based on their own routines and living arrangements. Maintaining autonomy, particularly in later life or when living with a disability, is essential for positive mental wellbeing.
- Contributes towards maintaining a person’s dignity. Dignity in care means treating people as people, not just as patients, and respecting their choices, values and opinions. Delivering personal care that’s tailored to an individual helps to uphold a person’s dignity, as they have more choice and control over their daily life.
- Reduces the chances of illness, infection and worsening conditions. Good personal hygiene and personal care routines mean illnesses like bedsores, malnutrition and urinary tract infections are much less likely to develop and visits to a GP or hospital are reduced.
- Keeps a person safe in their home. Regular contact with a carer or nurse for personal care ensures hazards in the living environment are identified before they become a health and safety problem. For example, risks from falling out of bed without assistance, trip hazards due to mobility issues or the risk of leaving a tap running as a result of memory loss.
- Provides comfort and companionship. Remaining in their own home for personal care ensures the person remains comfortable and familiar with their environment, which can improve mental wellbeing and reduce stress. Support from a regular personal care assistant also helps to reduce feelings of loneliness, especially if the person lives alone.
Examples of Personal Care
The definition of ‘personal care’ will differ depending on the individual being cared for. Whilst some people may require full-time help managing health conditions or personal hygiene, others may need assistance to eat properly, go to the bathroom or simply to remember to take their medicine.
Examples of personal care tasks in health and social care include:
- Accompanying a person to an appointment.
- Helping someone get up or go to bed.
- Helping someone to change position in bed.
- Helping someone to get dressed and undressed.
- Assisting with medication.
- Assisting with visits to the toilet or with continence care.
- Bathing, cleaning and showering.
- Changing the person’s bedsheets.
- Helping with basic housework tasks, such as cleaning and laundry.
- Cooking meals and helping a person to eat.
- Foot care, skin care and cutting nails.
- Haircare and shaving.
- Applying someone’s make-up.
- Managing a person’s stoma.
- Brushing teeth.
- Helping a person to see friends and family.
- Helping a person access local services.
Want to Learn More?
Our range of online Health and Social Care courses provides key information that personal care assistants need to know, ensuring the care provided is always supportive, dignified and thoughtful. Take a look at our Person-Centred Care Training or Communication Skills in Health & Social Care courses now.
Guidelines for Providing Personal Care
The following guidance on assisting with personal care will help you to deliver care that is always mindful, individual and person-centred:
Resistance to care can be common when someone is first being provided with personal care, as it can be an uncomfortable and awkward experience for them. It can also feel as if they’re losing their independence. For personal care assistants, it’s important that you always act thoughtfully and compassionately, being sensitive to the individual to avoid them feeling embarrassed, resistant or defensive. Show them through your actions that you are there to help and support, not judge or embarrass.
Take things slowly and go at a pace determined by the individual. Do not rush them or pressure them if they’re not ready to accept help. Instead, continue to be respectful and encouraging, ensuring you communicate well so the person knows what you’re doing and why. Always listen to the individual and respect their wishes and feelings.
Do your best to empower the individual to be autonomous, do things for themselves and take part in activities as much as they’re able to. Maintaining independence is important for everyone, especially those who require personal care. Avoid doing tasks on behalf of a person just because you can do it quicker.
Where possible, follow the person’s normal daily routine when assisting them with tasks to ensure feelings of continuity and familiarity. These feelings enhance wellbeing and will reduce the likelihood of resistance. Following a familiar routine also helps to avoid confusion, distress or worry for many people, particularly those in later life, those experiencing mental decline or people with learning disabilities.
Be positive, upbeat and encouraging about the support you are providing. You want the individual you are caring for to feel safe, trusting and happy with you in order to give them the best possible care. If the person feels negatively about the care you’re providing, or as if you’re not ensuring their dignity, then they’re more likely to react with resistance, anger or frustration.
If the individual has a personal care plan outlining their care and treatment requirements, then make sure you consult this to check what their medical and lifestyle preferences are. This document can help you to tailor the support you offer the individual and ensures you always act with their best interests, values and abilities in mind. Similarly, the person may have a health and social care advocate who you must consult with to learn about their wishes and concerns.
Personal care in health and social care involves supporting people with their personal hygiene, daily routines and overall wellbeing. It should be tailored to each person’s unique needs and preferences in order to maintain their dignity, independence and quality of life as much as possible. To be effective, personal care also requires a compassionate, person-centered approach, ensuring individuals always feel respected, comfortable and empowered in their daily lives.
Further Resources:
- Person-Centred Care Training
- What is Person-Centred Care and Why is it Important?
- Record Keeping in Health and Social Care
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