Housekeeping--Making a Bed

Beds should be made every day, linens changed weekly or as needed. If the bed becomes soiled during the night, fresh linens should be placed on the bed and the soiled ones laundered. Otherwise, just make up the bed daily and change linens once a week.

Some clients/loved ones are very particular about how they want the bed made, others don't have a preference.  If they have a preference, then do it that way.

If you are unsure how to make a bed, this video will help:

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is an important part of caregiving.  Housekeeping should be done to the client/loved one's preferences as much as possible.

If you are a paid caregiver, you are probably expected to keep the home clean as part of your responsibilities.

Again, observation is a key element.  Take notice--if the home is already clean, the client/loved one is probably used to having a clean home and you will just need to maintain its cleanliness. Observe where cleaning supplies are kept so that you can return them to their proper place. Observe how things are arranged on table tops, shelves, bathroom counters, etc. so you can replace them in the same places after cleaning the surface.  Observe how beds are made, towels are hung, dishes are shelved so you will be able to put them back in the same way.

If the home is not clean, you will need to ask.  Ask if the client/loved one has preferences how things are done or how they look.  A messy, dirty home may be due to the inability of the client/loved one to continue housekeeping due to illness or injury. It is not necessarily an indication that they don't care.

So far as possible, things should be done to the preference and convenience of the client/loved one.

Observe, Anticipate, Ask

Observation is a key element of good caregiving.  A good caregiver should notice and take note of how and where things are before undoing them--for example, notice how the bed is made before unmaking it, pay attention to where dishes are located before taking them from the cupboard or replacing clean ones, how clothes are hung up  before taking them out of the closet (all hangars facing the same way, top buttons buttoned, etc.), how sheets and towels are folded in the linen closet, whether socks are folded or rolled.

Don't assume that your way of doing something is the only way. The person you are caring for may have preferences of their own and reasons why they like things the way they are.

Anticipation is another key to good caregiving.  If you are paying attention, you may be able to anticipate an action.  If the person you are caring for folds the paper and puts it down before wanting to get up, then you can anticipate from their behavior that they will soon need assistance in getting up and/or transferring and be ready to help them.

Ask.  Especially if you are just starting to care for someone--ask what their preferences are, where things go, how they like things done.

An illustration of the "Observe, Anticipate, Ask" would be:

Observe that the toilet paper on the roll is nearly gone.

Anticipate that it may get used up during the next bathroom visit, necessitating a new roll.  Knowing that it is difficult for the client/loved one to get a new roll on their own, 

you place a new roll at the ready within easy reach.

Ask when replacing the roll on the holder if the client/loved one prefers for the paper to roll off the bottom,

or off the top.

In this particular case, the client I cared for preferred that the paper roll off the top. She only had the use of her right hand and found it easier to tear the paper against the side of the holder.

By anticipating the need for a new roll of paper, I made it unnecessary for her to yell for help when the paper ran out.