Your mom has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t shower without cues anymore. She often becomes combative when it comes to daily showers, so her doctors say it’s okay to let a few days go by between showers. You’re used to washing your hair each day. How often should you or your caregiver wash your mom’s hair?
Caregiver in Clark NJ: Senior Hygiene
Dermatologists Recommend Washing Every Two or Three Days
If you’re washing your mom’s hair every day, you may be doing it too much. Daily shampooing dries out the scalp. Plus, oil production diminishes with age, so her hair isn’t going to get as oily.
Instead, switch up and wash her hair two or three times per week. That helps protect the scalp and keeps her hair healthier. You could get on a schedule of washing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
You may need to wash her hair more often if she’s still active. If she’s gotten sweaty in the sun, you could wash her hair. Otherwise, it’s okay to leave it for a few days.
Use a Mild Shampoo
Instead of using a harsher shampoo, aim for mild shampoos that do not have harsh chemicals, sulfates, or parabens. If your mom has curly hair, you could skip shampoo some days and use a co-wash instead. Co-wash is a conditioner that helps remove dirt and oils without lather.
Ways to Make Hair Washing Days Less Stressful
It’s one of the days your mom gets her hair washed. How do you make it less stressful for you both?
Invest in a shower seat that she can sit on while you wash her hair. If it’s better for her, wrap her in a towel and let her stay covered while you wash her hair.
If your mom’s showerhead doesn’t have a detachable hand-held shower wand, add one. It’s easy to swap a traditional showerhead with a hand-held one. Unscrew the old one, screw on the new one, and test it for leaks.
Play music while you wash her hair. If she has something to distract her, music can do that. You’ll also want to have a reward as an incentive. If she loves chocolate squares, give her one to eat once her hair is washed.
Hire a Personal Care Aide to Help
Your mom may fight you because you’re her child. If she’s ever told you she doesn’t want to be a burden, that mindset can impact how willing she is to let you help her with a shower. It’s time to consider personal care services.
If your mom is combative when it comes to personal care tasks like oral care, showers, and dressing, have you considered hiring personal care aides? They have the experience that you don’t when it comes to helping with grooming, hygiene, and bathing.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Clark, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at 908-418-4299.
Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside, and the surrounding areas.
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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