Grooming is one of the first things to go and one of the fastest things to fix. Why it matters more than it sounds like it should.
When someone stops getting their hair done, it usually isn’t about hair.
It’s that the appointment requires a ride, and asking for a ride feels like an imposition, and the whole thing got quietly dropped about eight months ago. Same with nails. Same with the beard your father used to keep neat. Same with the good clothes hanging in a closet while she wears the same cardigan because it’s easy.
Watch what happens when that gets reversed. A woman who has had her hair done sits differently.
She answers the phone differently. She will tell you it’s foolish and then she’ll mention it three times.
This is not vanity, and it is not a small thing on the care list. Appearance is one of the last pieces of control people have over how the world sees them, and losing it changes how they see themselves. A senior who feels unkempt stops wanting visitors, and then stops leaving, and then you’re dealing with isolation instead of a haircut.
So make the appointment yourself. Don’t ask whether she wants to go, because she’ll say it isn’t necessary. Call the place she used to go, book it, and tell her you’re picking her up Thursday at ten. Most salons around here have someone who is good with older clients and will take the time. Some will come to the house, and a few around Monmouth County do nothing but that.
While you’re at it, go through the closet with her. Pull the clothes she can actually get on and off by herself to the front. Half of what looks like not caring is a zipper she can’t reach anymore.
Then take a picture of her afterward and send it to her sister.
Book it this week.
Seniors Helping Seniors® Jersey Shore North Home care, respite, personal care, and transportation in Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean Counties, NJ. www.JSNorthSHS.com I info@JSNorthSHS.com | 732-385-8805