Personal Care For Seniors

“Gray hair is a crown of beauty when it is found in the way of righteousness.”

We see the truth of this proverb every single day as we work with our dear elderly friends in Legacy Place. With age comes a wealth of experience and beauty in character but it also comes with its own share of trials in this system. That is where Personal Care comes in.

In this article, we talk about what exactly is involved in Personal Care, how we provide this for elderly ones in Legacy Place, and how you can apply for a place with us.

Personal Care for Seniors

What Are Personal Care Services?

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Personal Care Homes are

“abodes that provide shelter, meals, supervision and assistance with simple tasks, generally for older people who are unable to care for themselves..”

Personal care involves much more than just caring for one’s physical needs. Love, respect, dignity, and communication play an important role. Specially trained caretakers provide personal care in a way that is tactful and courteous of personal boundaries with sensitivity, compassion, and respect for people’s privacy and dignity.

Personal care services are services that strive to assist seniors who need help with their activities of daily living. Providing personal care usually includes helping them with aspects of daily living such as washing, going to the toilet, dressing, dental care, eating, and drinking. It also includes assistance with taking prescribed medication, setting up and maintaining doctor’s appointments, or operating prosthetics. Personal care is more than just physical assistance with common daily tasks. It also provides an important sense of companionship or simply a sympathetic ear to chat about your day.

Difference Between Personal Care And Assisted Living

Some have asked us what the difference between Personal Care and Assisted Living is. In the state of Pennsylvania, a personal care home is a place that provides shelter, meals, and assistance with medications and personal day-to-day tasks, while an assisted living accommodation does that as well, but also provides some skilled health care services in addition to the personal care.

Up to 2011, there wasn’t necessarily a difference between the two terms with regard to the type of care you would receive. Measures were then taken to separate the two terms and give each one its own defined framework and licensing. An article by Country Meadows titled, “Assisted living or personal care? What’s the difference in Pennsylvania?” gives a much deeper understanding of the difference between the two services.

Needs Of Personal Care Residents

Personal Care Residents are often active, independent to a degree, and might not need extensive medical treatment. They may only require some oversight and assistance. Some activities that elderly residents of personal care facilities require help with include:

• Assistance with eating, dressing, bathing, and using bath equipment (including bed-baths)
• Oral hygiene, applying make-up and hair care
• Support with shaving, basic skincare, and nail maintenance
• Foot care (especially for diabetic residents)
• Encouragement to perform body movements and to follow simple exercise programs
• Support with moving position in bed, to stretch and prevent bedsores and assistance with a wheelchair and other chairs
• Doing laundry
• Arranging for transportation, shopping, buying seasonal clothes
• Using the telephone/writing letters, participating in social/recreational activities
• Caring for possessions
• Assistance with toileting and/or incontinence care
• Medications administrations and/or assistance with self-administered medications
• Assistance scheduling doctor’s appointments, as well as transportation to appointments
• Companion care and homemaking services
  

  Personal Care for Seniors

In Pennsylvania, Personal Care Homes are reviewed and authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Here homes care for as few as four people and as many as several hundred.

Personal Care in Legacy Place Cottages

All the residents in our home are our brothers and sisters and caring for them goes much beyond providing for their physical needs. Providing a safe, spiritual environment where these elderly ones can be happy and healthy is our priority. As a care home for seniors, Our Personal Care and Memory Care households provide a loving and secure environment where fellow believers can share spiritual values, live by Bible principles, and receive the highest quality of care.

If you would like to apply for a place with us in Legacy Place, please download the application form. If you want to have a look around and check our facilities and pricing, you can check out the Life at Legacy Place page on our website or call us at 484.860.3911.