27/08/2026
TOTAL CARE
Total care means WAY more than feeding someone and changing a diaper.
I think when people hear total care, they picture the obvious things. Someone needs help eating, bathing, getting dressed and using the bathroom.
That's part of it. But it's barely scratching the surface.
Total care means someone else is responsible for essentially every physical need throughout that person's day. Getting them out of bed. Positioning their body. Transferring them into their wheelchair. Repositioning them so they don't develop pressure injuries. Dressing them. Bathing them. Brushing their teeth. Doing their hair. Changing them. Managing periods. Skin care. Nail care. And then doing it all again tomorrow.
For medically complex kids, there's another entire layer. Medications have to be prepared and given on schedule. G-tubes need cared for. Feeds and water have to be measured. Equipment needs cleaned. Respiratory treatments need done. Suctioning may happen throughout the day and night. Oxygen and pulse ox numbers need monitored. Seizures need recognized, timed and treated. Rescue medications have to be immediately available. You learn what THEIR normal looks like so you recognize when something tiny has changed.
It also means they can't simply get themselves out of a bad position. If an arm gets trapped, their head falls forward, they're uncomfortable, they're too hot or cold, their mask shifts, they're tangled in tubing or they need something that's three inches outside their reach... someone has to notice and help.
Then there's all the stuff nobody sees. Ordering supplies. Calling pharmacies. Fighting with insurance. DME companies. Specialists. Appointments. Therapies. Equipment fittings. Washing syringes. Charging equipment. Filling oxygen tanks. Stocking bedside supplies. Packing emergency bags. Keeping medication lists updated. Making sure absolutely everything needed to keep another human being safe is ready BEFORE it's needed.
And total care does NOT mean someone doesn't have opinions, preferences, personality or the ability to make choices.
It means their BODY requires another person's assistance.
They can still tell you what they like. What they hate. What makes them laugh. What they want to wear. What they want to watch. Who they want around them. Some communicate with words, some with devices, some with facial expressions, sounds, eye gaze or body language.
Total care describes the amount of physical assistance someone needs. It does NOT describe the person inside that body.
And THAT is the part I wish more people understood.