Guidelines for Helping with Daily Self-care Tasks
- *Simplify and clarify the task. Clothing garments with simple fasteners or a permed hairstyle any go far in enabling the person to complete a task independently. Clarify the task with environmental cues such as a comb and brush set out by the makeup mirror.
- *Reduce distractions such as background noise to confusing cues (such as clutter or similarly colored toilet and dressing stool covers.)
- *Keep a regular routine. A regular routine makes life more predictable and easier to cope with. This reduces confusion and improves the individual’s cooperation and ability to perform self-care.
- *Be flexible and patient. It is important to remain flexible and patient because the first attempt at getting a task done often will not work. Also, remember to not take refusals personally, the person with Alzheimer’s disease cannot help his/her behavior.
- *Use good communication techniques.
Techniques for Helping
- *Break the task into steps that are small enough to match the person’s abilities. For example, a person may need to have tasks broken into smaller steps such as: put toothpaste on the toothbrush, brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, and dry off your mouth.
- *Demonstrate the step. For example, when you say “wipe your mouth” you can wipe your own mouth.
- *Help begin the action. Even when you demonstrate a step, the person may still not be sure what to do. You can help by beginning the action until he/she remembers what to do.
- *Give the person time to finish the step. Rushing a person with Alzheimer’s dieses usually will increase confusion, embarrassment, and resistance.
For more information contact 317-218-5111 or www.behomelivelife.com