Personal Care & Daily Living
About this service
Hands-on help with the activities of daily living—bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and continence care, safe transfers/mobility, and medication cueing—so clients can live safely and comfortably at home. In Alberta this aligns with AHS Home & Community Care; eligible clients may receive these supports through Client-Directed Home Care Invoicing (CDHCI) after an AHS assessment, with approved hours billed directly to Alberta Blue Cross.
Who it’s for
- Adults and older adults who want to remain at home but need help with daily activities or recovery tasks (AHS home care serves “people of all ages” based on assessed need).
- Families seeking reliable routines, safety oversight, and gentle support that preserves dignity and independence.
What´s included in the service?
Bathing & Hygiene
Full/partial bathing or shower setup, temperature checks, perineal care, oral care, and post-care tidying of touched surfaces following IPC principles.
Dressing & Grooming
Weather-appropriate clothing selection, assistance with fasteners/compression garments, hair and skin care.
Toileting & Continence Care
Timed voiding, commode/urinal setup, brief changes, skin protection, linen changes; escalate red flags (e.g., possible UTI).
Safe Transfers & Mobility
Bed/chair/wheelchair transfers using client-specific techniques and belts where indicated; repositioning for skin integrity; fall-hazard awareness in walking paths.
Medication Reminders (Non-Clinical)
Time-based cueing/blister-pack prompts; missed-dose escalation to a nurse or family. Formal medication setup/administration is delivered by nursing as needed.
Morning/Evening Routines
Structured start/close of day, including personal hygiene, clothing, locks/lights, comfort checks.
Health-Linked Homemaking
Quick sanitation of hygiene areas touched during care, incontinence laundry, and pathway tidying when tied to health/safety needs (often part of CDHCI when authorized).
Frequently asked questions
Is this covered by CDHCI?
Often, yes. After an AHS assessment, personal care and essential health-linked homemaking can be authorized under CDHCI. Approved hours are billed directly to Alberta Blue Cross; families can add private top-ups for extra hours or services.
Do you provide supplies and equipment?
Client-specific consumables (e.g., incontinence products) and equipment aren’t part of the hourly rate. Eligible Albertans may receive funding through Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) via assessment by an authorizer and purchase from approved vendors (with cost-sharing rules).
How do you manage infection prevention in the home?
We follow AHS Routine Practices—hand hygiene, risk-based PPE, and cleaning of touched surfaces/devices—applied to every client, in all care settings, every time.
Can you also help after a hospital stay?
Yes. We often pair ADLs with short-term recovery supports and coordination in line with Alberta’s Home-to-Hospital-to-Home transitions guidance.
What information do you keep and how is it protected?
Care notes are limited to what’s necessary to provide service and are handled under Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA); clients have rights to access and correction.
Download our guide
Check out our guide to Home and Community Care.