What is personal care?

Personal care is hands-on help with the physical activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, toileting, moving and eating. It goes a step beyond companion care because the caregiver physically assists the person, which calls for training in safe transfers, skin care and dignity during intimate tasks. It is non-medical, so it does not include giving medication, wound care or injections, which need a nurse.

Dementia often makes personal hygiene harder because the person may find bathing scary, embarrassing or uncomfortable, and may resist it. The Alzheimer's Association notes they may not sense when water is dangerously hot. It suggests giving the person choices and, if they resist, distracting them and trying again later. As the disease progresses, many people need hands-on personal care to stay clean and safe.

Personal care for the elderly is help with everyday self-care tasks an older adult can no longer manage safely alone, such as bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, getting in and out of bed, and eating. Medicare.gov notes that most long-term care is this kind of help with basic personal tasks, often called activities of daily living, rather than medical care.

Personal care is generally considered to be help with the activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, moving around and eating. The Alzheimer's Association lists it as help with bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, exercising or other personal care. It is non-medical support, and tasks such as giving medication, wound care or injections are skilled care that needs a nurse.

No. Personal care is a type of help, hands-on assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting and eating, while assisted living is a place to live. Assisted living residences provide personal care along with housing, meals and some supervision, but personal care can also be delivered at home by a caregiver, so the person does not have to move to get it.