Is it difficult for you or a loved one to perform simple daily activities? Would the assistance of another person make these tasks manageable for you, and improve the quality of your life? If you answered “yes” to these questions, Personal Care Services might be what you need.
In the home health care field, the textbook definition of Personal Care Services is, “services that are provided by a Personal Care Worker (PCW) to assist clients with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs).”
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are self-care tasks that people normally do every day. In home health care, ADLs are usually broken down into 6 basic self-care tasks:- Bathing – washing your body to keep good healthy hygiene
- Dressing – being able to change clothing to maintain good healthy hygiene
- Feeding – being able to make a meal and eat the meal
- Transferring – being able to physically move from one place to another while performing activities
- Continence – being able to control bowel and bladder function and being able to perform the personal hygiene tasks associated with these activities (this includes caring for a catheter or colostomy bag.)
- Toileting – being able to get to and from the toilet, and perform the personal hygiene tasks associated with these activities
- Housekeeping – being able to perform daily tasks to maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness in one’s home
- Telephone & Technology – being able to operate a telephone and use basic technology
- Shopping – being able to shop for all basic needs
- Food Preparation – being able to plan and prepare meals
- Laundry – being able to launder clothing
- Transportation – being able to independently use public or private transportation
- Medications – being able to responsibility dose and take medications
- Finances – being able to independently manage personal finances
Can a PCW change & dump a colostomy bag in Wisconsin 2016?
A PCW can empty a colostomy bag, but they are generally not trained to change the colostomy appliance.
Yes I’m trained to do G-tub feeding and change the colostomy bag
Would assisting the patient to clean the fridge, other appliances and common areas like the kitchen living room be considered personal care for the patient?
Hi James, this depends on your insurance. Most insurance will cover light housekeeping if the patient requires “hands on care.” Hands on care is care that requires the patient to be touched by the PCW, this includes things like bathing, dressing, grooming, etc. Most insurance will not cover PCW services for cleaning only. In addition, if there are other family members living in the house that use common areas such as the kitchen and living room these areas would need to be cleaned by the family members unless the PCW was cleaning something directly related to caring for the patient such as the patient’s dishes after being feed. The PCW is not expected to clean up after other family members in the house.