5.1.3 The Building Blocks of Hygiene and Grooming
In long term care facilities, there are personal care routines for each client. Typically, personal hygiene and grooming occurs in three different blocks of time:
1. AM cares (personal care tasks that happen in the morning hours) consist of
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- washing the face and hands,
- brushing the teeth,
- shaving with an electric razor,
- cleansing under the arms,
- toileting and washing the perineal area as needed,
- completing menstrual care when applicable, and
- assisting the client to dress for the day.
Learn More
At times, you may be caring for a client who is menstruating and may need assistance to manage their cycle. Helping someone stay clean and dry during their cycle will help prevent skin rashes, infections and help them feel better. Feeling uneasy helping with this task is very normal, especially if you are not a person who menstruates. When dealing with care in private areas, it’s important to check in often with your client to ensure that they are comfortable with the level of care you are offering, and that you are not overstepping their personal boundaries.
Watch the following video for some more helpful tips on how to help a client with their menstrual cycle:
Click here for a video transcript in .docx format: Video Transcript
2. PM cares (personal care tasks that happen in the evening hours) consist of
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- washing the face and hands,
- brushing the teeth after dinner,
- completing menstrual care when applicable, and
- toileting.
3. Hour of Sleep (HS) cares (personal care tasks that happen prior to bed time) consist of
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-
- washing the face and hands,
- brushing the teeth,
- cleansing under the arms,
- toileting and washing the perineal area as needed,
- completing menstrual care when applicable, and
- assisting the client to dress for bed.
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Media Attributions
- pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3768131 © Andrea Piacquadio is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
