1 Foundations of Basic Care

Purpose of basic care

Basic care supports health, comfort, function, and participation in everyday life. It includes helping with Activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and moving between positions or places.

Good care is not simply completing tasks for someone. It helps the person do as much as they can and want to do while respecting their choices, routines, identity, and safety.

Respect choices, privacy, and dignity

Start by asking what matters to the person, what assistance they prefer, and how they want care provided. Offer understandable choices, allow time, explain before touching or moving the person, and seek Consent.

Protect privacy and modesty by closing doors or curtains, covering areas not being cared for, and sharing personal information only as appropriate. Respect the person's right to decline care: explore the reason, offer alternatives, and report concerns according to the care plan and workplace procedure.

Care plans should reflect the person's goals and preferences and be reviewed as needs change.

Assess, plan, provide, and review

Before assisting, learn the person's usual abilities and routines, preferences, communication needs, relevant health instructions, and current condition. Ask what they can do independently and what help they want; do not assume that a diagnosis tells you everything about their abilities.

Notice changes in alertness, pain, breathing, appetite, fluid intake, skin, strength, balance, mood, and ability to complete familiar tasks. Agree on a practical goal and a safe plan with the person. For example: “With the walker and standby help, I will walk to the bathroom before breakfast.”

Prepare supplies and clear hazards before beginning. Encourage participation, provide only the needed level of help, and check comfort and safety throughout care. Afterwards, record and communicate relevant observations, including what assistance worked and any new difficulty. Report sudden or significant changes promptly, and follow the Care plan and your role's training and scope.

Support nutrition and fluids

Offer appealing meals and drinks that fit the person's preferences and any prescribed diet or swallowing plan. Position the person comfortably, make sure needed items are within reach, and allow enough time to eat.

Provide adaptive utensils or assistance when appropriate, while letting the person feed themselves as able. Note changes in appetite, intake, chewing, or swallowing and report concerns. Do not change food texture, thicken liquids, or impose fluid limits unless directed by a qualified clinician. Nutrition needs and restrictions vary, so the plan should be individualized.

Support mobility and transfers

Encourage safe movement and independence rather than unnecessary bed rest. Before helping someone stand or walk, check their alertness, footwear, balance, pain, and immediate environment. Use the assistance level and transfer method in the care plan, keep pathways clear, and provide good lighting.

Never improvise a lift or transfer beyond your training. Canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and other mobility aids should be selected, fitted, and taught by an appropriate health professional. An aid that does not fit or is used incorrectly may be unsafe.

Support toileting and elimination

Offer timely, private access to the toilet or prescribed toileting aid, and respect the person's usual pattern. Keep the call bell or another way to request help within reach.

Provide discreet help with clothing, wiping, and handwashing as needed. During Perineal care, clean from front to back. Observe and report new pain, difficulty, unusual changes in urine or stool, or concerns about incontinence. Do not assume everyone needs a bowel movement every day; a change from the person's usual bowel pattern may warrant follow-up.

Maintain hygiene and skin comfort

Prepare supplies first, explain each step, and let the person choose the timing, products, clothing, and amount of help. Maintain warmth and privacy during bathing, use nonslip surfaces, and stay close enough to help safely.

Wash gently, rinse, and dry well, especially between skin folds. Check for redness, irritation, or areas of discomfort. Support oral care, clean clothing, and the person's preferred grooming routine. Report skin changes or pain rather than trying to diagnose or treat them independently.

Support sleep and rest

Ask about preferred bedtime routines and what helps the person rest. Promote a calm, comfortable sleep environment and a regular routine where possible. Address practical disruptions such as noise, uncomfortable positioning, pain, or needing the toilet.

Note persistent sleep difficulty or daytime sleepiness and share it with the care team, since health conditions and medicines can affect sleep. Do not start, stop, or adjust sleep medicines without clinical direction.

Use equipment and comfort measures safely

Make prescribed equipment accessible, clean, in working condition, and used as instructed. Assistive devices include glasses, hearing aids, dentures, call bells, positioning supports, and mobility aids. Ask whether the person is comfortable and whether a device is correctly placed; report damage, poor fit, or difficulty using it.

Support comfort with approved measures such as repositioning, pillows, appropriate clothing, a comfortable room temperature, and calm reassurance. Check the person's response and follow any positioning or skin-protection instructions in the care plan.

Bring care together

Basic care combines assessment, choice, safety, privacy, and practical help. Learn the person's abilities and preferences, plan care with them, encourage independence while providing the assistance needed, and observe, document, and report changes.

Across meals, mobility, toileting, hygiene, sleep, and comfort, dignity and safety are essential parts of the care, not separate tasks.

• Person-centered care