Hygienic personality

Personal hygiene refers to maintaining cleanliness of one's body and clothing to preserve overall health and well-being. 

It includes a number of different activities related to the following general areas of self-care: washing or bathing, including cleansing oneself after using the toilet; taking proper care of the mouth; grooming and dressing; and keeping clothing clean. Bathing, dressing and undressing, and using the toilet are considered activities of daily living (ADLs), while doing one's laundry is considered an instrumental activity of daily living or IADL.
Description

Personal hygiene is a preventive health measure that serves a senior's emotional, social, and physical well-being:
Cleanliness protects against the spread of disease from external parasites (such as body or head lice) or from contact with contaminated feces or other body fluids.
Proper washing and bathing protects the skin against rashes and sores from contact with urine or fecal matter.

Oral hygiene lowers the risk of malnutrition, swallowing difficulties, or infections caused by bacteria in the mouth getting into the bloodstream and other body tissues.

Maintaining personal hygiene lowers the risk of social embarrassment and eventual isolation from others.
With regard to emotional health, keeping oneself clean and neat improves morale and lowers the risk of depression.

Washing and toileting
Many seniors have difficulty with washing the hair and bathing or showering, although the reasons for the difficulty vary depending on whether the senior's loss of capacity is physical or mental. A senior with arthritis may find it physically awkward or painful to climb into a tub or to open shampoo bottles, whereas a senior with dementia may completely forget to bathe or shower.
The caregiver will need to ask several questions to assess whether and what type of help a senior might need in order to keep him- or herself clean:
Is the disability temporary or permanent?
Is it likely to get worse over time or stay at the same level?

What organ systems or parts of the body are affected? For example, a senior who has arthritis in the hands may need different types of household gadgets or assistive devices than one with arthritis in the hips and knees; similarly, a senior with an ostomy will need a different type of bathroom arrangement from one who is sight- or hearing-impaired.
Can the senior walk or move to the bathroom or are they completely bedridden?