At times, she was angry about losing her independence, but eventually she realized she needed my help.

A big part of caregiving is keeping the person who is ill as comfortable as possible. This will include some personal hygiene tasks, as well as meal preparation with an awareness of food sensitivities, intolerances, and changes in preferences and appetite. You may also need to help move the person in and out of bed, which can cause physical strain.

This module explores strategies and techniques to help keep you and the person who is ill safe and comfortable. You will learn the following:

• Techniques to help person who is ill with their personal hygiene. This involves such tasks as mouth care, face and hair care, bathing, skin care, and toileting.

• Strategies to help with meal planning and food preparation plus some simple meal and snack ideas.

• Suggestions to consider when the person’s appetite decreases.

• Techniques with video demonstrations on how to safely assist the person who is ill with movement as needed. This includes strategies to help them walk, move from bed to a chair, sit up in bed, move in bed from their back to their side, and move in bed so that you can change linens.