Personal care
Personal care at home: bathing, dressing, and moving safely
Personal care is hands-on help with the things most people do alone in the bathroom and bedroom. A caregiver helps your parent bathe, dress, use the toilet, and get from bed to chair without falling, and without rushing them.
Licensing and caregiver screening
Licensed Home Care OrganizationCDSS license #374700397
Caregivers on the state registryLive Scan fingerprint check (CA DOJ and FBI) and TB test
Owned by a registered nurseMildred Kiminyei, RN
What a caregiver helps with
- Bathing and showering
- Setting up the shower chair, testing the water temperature, washing the places your parent can’t reach, and drying off. People who dread showers often do better with a sponge bath at the sink, or a set shower day.
- Dressing and grooming
- Choosing clothes for the weather, buttons, socks, and shoes, hair care, shaving, filing nails, and cleaning dentures.
- Toileting and incontinence
- Help getting to the bathroom on a schedule, changing briefs, cleaning up, and checking skin for redness that can turn into a pressure sore.
- Transfers and walking
- Getting from bed to wheelchair, from a chair to standing, and in and out of the car. Walking alongside with the walker or cane.
- Eating
- Setting up meals, cutting food, encouraging fluids, and noticing when your parent is eating or drinking less than usual.
- Medication reminders
- Reminding your parent at the right times and bringing water. Caregivers don’t give injections or make decisions about doses.
Falls: the part of personal care that matters most
Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older in the United States, according to the CDC. Many happen at home, often in the bathroom or on the way there at night. A fall can turn independent living into a hospital stay in one step.
Here is what a caregiver does to prevent them:
- Keeps walkways clear of rugs, cords, and clutter
- Makes sure night lights work between the bed and the bathroom
- Uses the walker, cane, or gait belt the way the physical therapist showed
- Stays within arm’s reach during showers and transfers
- Tells the family and our office after any fall or near-fall, even when your parent says they’re fine
During the in-home consultation, we walk through the house looking for fall risks and tell you what we’d change. Many fixes are cheap: a shower chair, a hand-held shower head, a raised toilet seat, or grab bars screwed into the wall studs, not suction cups.
What a morning visit can look like
An example of a three-hour morning visit. Every care plan is built around the person’s own routine.
- 8:00. The caregiver arrives, says hello, and asks how the night went.
- 8:15. Help to the bathroom, then a shower or sponge bath.
- 8:45. Dressing, hair, lotion, and a quick check of the skin on heels and hips.
- 9:15. Breakfast, fluids, and the morning medication reminder.
- 9:45. Tidy the bathroom, make the bed, and start a load of laundry.
- 10:30. A short walk, or the exercises the physical therapist assigned.
- 11:00. A note for the family on how the morning went, and the caregiver leaves.
When your parent doesn’t want help
Many people turn down help with bathing at first. It’s private, and accepting it can feel like losing independence. That’s normal, and it usually gets easier. What helps:
- Start with help your parent sees as a favor to you, like laundry or meals, and add bathing later
- Keep the same caregiver, so trust can build
- Let your parent do every part they can, even when it’s slower
- Offer choices: shower or bath, morning or evening
- Keep them covered with towels during bathing
What personal care costs
Personal care is billed at our hourly rate, $40 to $48 an hour, depending on the care and the schedule. A common pattern is a few hours each morning to get the day started, with more hours added as needs grow. See paying for care for insurance and VA options.
Where we provide this care
Related care
24-Hour & Live-In Care
Caregivers in shifts around the clock, or one live-in caregiver, for someone who can’t safely be alone.
Post-Surgery & Hospital-to-Home Care
Help in the first days and weeks home from the hospital, when falls and readmissions are most likely.
Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care
Care built around routine and calm redirection for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Common questions
What if my parent needs two people to transfer?
Tell us during the consultation. Some transfers need a mechanical lift or a second person to be safe. We’ll look at the setup and tell you plainly what one caregiver can and can’t do.
Can we ask for a male or female caregiver?
Yes. Many people prefer a caregiver of the same gender for bathing and toileting. Tell us, and we’ll factor it into the match.
Does Medicare pay for personal care?
Not when it’s the only care someone needs. Long-term care insurance usually does, because needing help with bathing, dressing, or toileting is what triggers most policies.
Can a caregiver trim toenails?
Caregivers can file nails and help with hand care. For people with diabetes or poor circulation, toenails should be cut by a podiatrist, because a small nick can turn into a serious wound.
Request a free in-home consultation
Tell us what’s going on and we’ll call you back to talk it through and set up a visit at the home. The consultation is free.
If it’s urgent, call instead of using the form.
- (858) 380-9599
- love@pendaseniorhomecare.com
- Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Care available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week