What is personal care?
The NDIS refers to personal care support as assistance with daily personal activities. Personal care may include tasks related to personal hygiene such as showering, bathing, oral hygiene, dressing and grooming. It may also include toileting, bladder management, catheter and/or bowel care and management.
“I think it’s really important to remember that personal care for a person with disability is just as important, if not more important, than the personal care you provide to yourself every day,” says Tori, Hireup’s in-house registered nurse.
“Personal care is a basic human right and allows a person who lives with disability to live an ordinary life.”
What is catheter and bowel management care?
Catheter care and bowel care/management are two specialised support types that can fall into personal care. Catheter care involves supporting and ensuring the use of a person’s catheter which is used to help a person empty their bladder. Bowel care is described as the management of bowel functioning. This may include (but is not limited to) monitoring of a person’s bowel movements or administering medications. A client requiring this type of support should have specific care plans in place for their catheter or bowel care management.
“I feel like it’s easy to overthink personal care but we all do our own personal care everyday, so all you have to do really is learn another person’s individual preferences. You already know the basics!” says Jo, a Hireup client.
“Assisting someone with that one part of their life allows them to then go about the rest of their day. It’s so valuable. I am so comfortable with and grateful for my support workers who assist with my personal care.”
What training is involved in these types of care?
Hireup has online training modules that you will be required to complete after you’ve had three bookings with a client who has selected a specialised support type. These modules are designed to give theory-based knowledge and some background into these support types.
It’s then the responsibility of the client or their account manager to provide practical training, relevant to their individual support needs. Often when a client already has a team of support workers, they will ask you to take part in a buddy shift, with another experienced worker on their team. This way you’ll learn on the job without feeling overwhelmed. Depending on the type of support required, the client, their account manager, or Hireup may require you to undertake some extra training provided by a healthcare professional from the clients team.
“I started supporting a young woman on Hireup and within a few shifts she asked if I would be comfortable providing personal care. We had great conversations prior to that first shift that included personal care. I was upfront about my experience, but also that I wanted to learn so I could support her better. We arranged for me to do a buddy shift so that one of her experienced workers could show me how to use the hoist and complete the night time routine which included toileting and showering. It was a bit nervous and awkward at first, but just asking the questions I needed to know the answers to was the best way to go. There were lots of questions, but also lots of laughs.” - Christie, Hireup support worker.
What PPE is required?
Because every person and their support is different, it’s always best to have a conversation with your client, or their account manager to determine what PPE you should be using. It’s important that you both feel safe and comfortable. Generally, gloves are recommended for personal care and are usually provided by the client. It’s good practice to bring along a few sets of gloves to a shift with you.
“I see personal care as a part of the clients normal routine - just another part of their day that I am there to support. I’ve never had the mindsight that personal care support is negative or embarrassing. I just see it as a part of their regular day. Sure some moments are a bit messy and unpleasant, but there is PPE there to protect me, and at the end of the day, we all have bowel movements, we all pee, it’s life. For my client, I’m there for [every] moment of their routine and I always have their dignity in mind.” - Tracey, Hireup support worker.
I want to get started but haven't done personal care before, what do I do?
- Let the client know it’s your first time providing personal care. This way the client will know what training you’ll need to do your job well.
- Take a minute to think about all the personal care tasks you do for yourself. In doing this you’ll be mindful and aware of how valuable this type of support is and how you can best provide it.
- Ask questions whenever you’re unsure. A client will appreciate you double checking what is best practice and what they prefer. This also reduces the risk of mistakes that could make that person uncomfortable.
- Do your best to provide dignity to the person you’re providing care for. You can do this by making sure they have privacy, covering parts of their body that you’re not attending to at that moment, and always respecting the person's needs.
“I found it difficult to come to the idea of getting help with personal care at the start. However now I really appreciate the ability to not rely on my parents or personal network for those parts of my life. Despite the fact that I am receiving the same help, I feel more independent. I get along so well with my support workers and can ask for things to be done my way without feeling like a bother or a burden.” - Jo, Hireup client.