Hair

For many people, to feel clean is to feel comfortable.

Illness tends to make people perspire, making their hair damp and sometimes tangled. Brushing someone’s hair regularly can be a thoughtful gesture.

Hair can be washed in the shower or tub, at the kitchen table with a basin, or in bed surrounded by soaker pads to prevent the bed from getting wet. Another option in bed is to gently move the patient to the head of the bed so that their head is slightly over the edge. Cover the bed with garbage bags to keep it from getting wet and place a pail on the floor below to catch the dirty water. Before you start washing someone’s hair, organize towels, containers to hold clean and dirty water, and the patient’s regular comb or brush. Then, gently shampoo and massage the person’s head.

Haircuts can also be given at any place of care. Consider asking the patient’s regular hairdresser to come out to cut the patient’s hair.