Shaving is one of the tasks that many senior citizens have difficulty with. Part of the reason for this is due to their shaky hands or balance issues. If your elderly loved one is struggling to shave any part of their body, they may need personal care at home services. These services can help with shaving and other hygiene or bathing-related tasks.
Effective Shaving
Does your elderly loved one try to shave, but only get part of the hair off? Maybe, they can’t see whether they are getting all their hair or not. It could also be that your elderly loved one gets too sore to finish shaving, so they just leave the rest. If either of these things is happening or your elderly loved one is struggling to shave effectively for any other reason, you can hire home care providers to assist them with this hygiene and bathing-related tasks.
Encourage Independence
Another shaving tip for the elderly is to encourage independence. As long as your elderly loved one is able to do some of the shaving on their own, you should allow them to do so. For example, if they are able to shave the top part of their legs, but not the bottom, allow them to do as much as they can. Then, you or an elder care provider can help with the rest of the shaving.
Use an Electric Razor
There are many different types of razors available. However, most senior citizens have a difficult time using a basic 3 or 5-blade razor as they cut themselves often with it. The primary reason for this is because they have shaky hands or they aren’t steady when they are standing up and shaving. If your elderly loved one is having difficulties with this type of razor, it may be a good idea to get them an electric razor. There are even electric razors that have blade stoppers, so your elderly loved one can’t accidentally cut themselves.
Plucking Instead of Shaving
Does your elderly loved one usually shave their unibrow or upper lip? If this is the case, you may want to talk to them about plucking the final hairs instead of shaving them. It may be easier, especially if your elderly loved one has shaky hands. You could also get them personal care at home services, so a home care provider can help with the hair plucking, too.
Conclusion
These are some of the best shaving tips for the elderly. Now that you have these tips, you can help to reduce the number of times your elderly loved one accidentally cuts themselves while shaving. You can also make the shaving process easier for your elderly loved one from now on, too.
If your elderly loved one doesn’t need someone to shave for them, but they just need someone to keep an eye on whether they are getting all their hair, you or an elderly care provider may want to do this for them, too.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Personal Care at Home in Joplin, MO please contact the caring staff at Adelmo Family Care today at (417) 206-4576.
Sources
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004005.htm
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