In the life of an older person experiencing a loss of autonomy, there is usually a spouse, daughter or son, parent, or close friends. Without the help and support of these “caregivers,” many seniors would not be able to remain at home, where they have often lived for a large part of their lives.

According to a profile of family caregivers conducted in 2012 by the Statistics Agency, 13 million Canadians aged 15 and over had, at some point in their lives, provided some form of care to a family member or friend with a long-term health problem, a disability, or issues related to aging.

Caregivers provide a wide range of care, assistance, and support that generally involve physical effort and emotional investment. Nearly two-thirds of caregivers in Canada—most often between the ages of 25 and 65—provide daily personal care to a person experiencing a loss of autonomy, such as assistance with using the toilet, bathing or showering, personal hygiene, and dressing.

These tasks come with their share of challenges and responsibilities, which vary according to the senior’s degree of loss of autonomy. Securing the environment to help prevent falls, and accommodating an older person’s natural modesty, are significant issues faced by caregivers.

Preventing falls among seniors

According to Appui pour les proches aidants d’aînés, one in three falls does not cause a serious injury, but falls can nevertheless have consequences, including fractures, hospitalizations, and rehabilitation needs that may weaken an older person and worsen their loss of autonomy to the point of jeopardizing their ability to remain at home.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization among older Canadians. They affect not only the older person’s life, but also caregivers, whether they are family members, friends, or healthcare providers. It is important to note that a majority of caregivers in Canada easily spend 10 hours a week helping a person experiencing a loss of autonomy.

For caregivers, the challenge is to observe and identify what may cause accidental falls, since opportunities to fall are numerous and often related to the older person’s health status—motor, visual, and cognitive abilities, among others—to their environment, or to the side effects of medication.

Dealing with a senior’s privacy and modesty

Privacy and modesty often lead an older person experiencing a loss of autonomy to refuse home care, such as assistance with intimate hygiene and dressing. A senior may not want to undress in front of someone, be touched, or be washed by someone else. Caregivers often face expressions of anger, anxiety, fear, and withdrawal from an older person who feels vulnerable. Cognitive problems such as memory loss, early Alzheimer’s disease or senility, limitations—the person is bedridden or uses a wheelchair—confusion, and a decline in the senior’s physical condition are all factors that can complicate the situation and that caregivers must deal with when supporting a person experiencing a loss of autonomy.

It is therefore essential to show empathy and respect an older person’s dignity at all times, especially when their loss of autonomy makes them vulnerable. A senior experiencing a loss of autonomy may feel that their privacy is being invaded or fear a loss of independence at various stages of their journey. A caregiver must adapt to changes, always proceed gradually, and establish a relationship of trust before providing assistance or a service to a senior experiencing a loss of autonomy.

To make caregivers’ lives easier, solutions are available to facilitate the provision of home care to an older person. Hygienic, which specializes in selling products designed to help people experiencing a loss of autonomy remain at home, offers a complete range of products on its website to make daily bathing and hygiene easier in cases of loss of autonomy.