1. Personal Care Skills
NATCEP Day Seventeen & Eighteen

2. Objectives
• Discuss how to dress and undress the resident
• Name assistive devices and clothing adaptations that
may be used in dressing/undressing a resident
• Describe nail & hair care including beard care and
shampooing
• Demonstrate
– SKILL: Dress and Undressing a Resident
– SKILL: Nail Care
– SKILL: Hair Care
• Combing/Brushing
• Shampooing
– SKILL: Shaving with an Electric Razor
– SKILL: Shaving with a Safety Razor

3. Dressing & Undressing
• Residents should dress themselves and be
dressed in their own “street” clothes
whenever possible.
• If they need assistance:
• Remove one arm of shirt at a time
• Dress affected side first; undress unaffected
side first
• Encourage use of assistive devices and adapted
clothing
• Never jerk or pull clothing off – be gentle!

4. Assistive Devices
• Shoe Horns

5. Assistive Devices
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Velcro straps
Front-hook Bras
Extenders
Reaches

6. Hair Care
• Grooming
– Daily and as needed
– Residents feel better about themselves
– Style as the resident likes
– Never cut residents’ hair
– Improves circulation

7. Hair Care
• Combing
– If in bed, cover pillow with a towel
– Begin at ends if tangled, work up
– Begin at roots if no tangling

8. Hair Care
• Shampooing
– Grooming associated with well being
– Frequency is individual – check plan of care
– Shampoo – use resident preference
– Rinse well!
• Prevents dry and itching scalp
– Tangling? Use conditioner
– Beauty Salons within LTCFs

9. Beard Care
• Wash when shampooing or bathing
• Comb or brush when hair is groomed
• Trim only with consent – check care plan

10. Shaving
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Check care plan before shaving 1st time
Shave daily as resident prefers
Help only as needed
Oxygen = no electric razors
Females = underarms & legs as preferred
Encourage aftershave/cosmetics for
sense of well-being

11. Nail Care
• Clean nails at bath time and as needed
– Pay close attention to those with deformities
or contractures
• Do not cut nails or resident that is diabetic
or has circulatory problems
• Notify charge nurse is nails need to be cut
• STNA does not cut toenails!