What are personal care services?

Personal care services are in-person and hands-on services that entail assisting a person with important daily activities that they are unable to perform by themselves.

Personal care services are also referred to as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) or Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs).

Personal care services enable an elderly individual, or an individual experiencing a chronic illness, to remain living at their own home instead of being forced to live in an assisted living care facility or nursing home.

Personal care services cover a wide variety of essential day-to-day needs of an elderly or unwell individual. Here are some examples of personal care services:

• Helping an individual bath or wash themselves

• Giving assistance when an individual needs to go to the bathroom

• Helping a patient get dressed

• Assisting a patient with grooming, and other hygiene needs, like brushing their teeth

• Cooking or preparing meals for an individual and also helping them to eat

• Providing medication reminders

• Helping patients get around their home

Personal care services are often given by family members or medical professionals, like live-in or daily visiting nurses. These people are often called personal care assistants, and they are usually in one of these three categories:

• Family Caregivers

These are personal care assistants who are related to the individual in need of personal care services. They might be a spouse, daughter, or son, or have biological relation to the cared-for individual in some other form.

Family caregivers are often used when an individual doesn't require much daily professional medical attention.

• Private Care Providers

These are personal care assistants that might be qualified to take care of an elderly or sick individual, but they do not work directly for a personal care agency or medical facility.

• Personal Care Agencies

These are professional organizations that provide personal care assistants that are fully trained, licensed, and vetted.

Depending on the level of care an individual needs, personal care agencies might be the best option for them.