Delivering Safe, Dignified Personal Care for Older People in Viet Nam: Bathing, Dressing and Daily Hygiene Across Home and Long-Term Care Services

Delivering Safe, Dignified Personal Care for Older People in Viet Nam: Bathing, Dressing and Daily Hygiene Across Home and Long-Term Care Services

An older woman living in a residential care facility has always taken pride in choosing her own clothes. One morning, a care worker prepares an outfit and begins helping her dress without asking what she would prefer. The clothes are clean and suitable, and the worker is trying to keep the morning schedule on track. Yet something important has been overlooked: the woman's opportunity to make an ordinary personal choice.

In another situation, a home-care worker arrives to help an older man bathe and discovers that his usual shower chair is damaged. The scheduled visit leaves little time to make alternative arrangements. Continuing with the planned shower might seem convenient, but the equipment problem changes what can safely be done.

Neither situation involves a complicated medical procedure. Both concern ordinary activities that people have often performed independently for much of their lives. Yet they illustrate why personal care cannot be judged simply by whether someone has been washed, dressed or made ready for the day.

Bathing, dressing and daily hygiene involve physical safety, privacy, personal preferences and trust. They also require workers to make practical decisions about how much assistance is needed, when to proceed, when to change the plan and when to seek additional support.

For older people who depend on others, the way these activities are carried out can influence comfort, confidence and the sense of control they retain over everyday life.

As organized home-care and long-term care services develop in Viet Nam, personal care deserves greater attention as a distinct aspect of service quality. The challenge is to make assistance reliable and safe without allowing schedules, staffing pressures or organizational convenience to overshadow the person receiving care.

Why Everyday Personal Care Requires More Than Task Completion

Personal care generally includes assistance with bathing, washing, dressing, grooming and maintaining daily hygiene. The amount of help required varies considerably. Some older people need occasional assistance with difficult movements or particular activities. Others require regular supervision, prompting or substantial physical support.

These tasks may appear straightforward because they are familiar in family life. Providing them as an organized care service, however, introduces responsibilities that extend beyond completing the activity itself.

A worker needs to understand what the person can manage independently, what assistance is appropriate and whether the environment is suitable. The worker must also be aware of individual preferences, communication needs and any limitations that could make an otherwise ordinary activity unsafe.

Intimate care introduces another consideration. Bathing and dressing may involve removing clothing, touching sensitive parts of the body or assisting someone who feels embarrassed about needing help. A task can be completed without injury and still leave the person feeling uncomfortable, frightened or disrespected.

Quality therefore depends partly on details that routine records may not capture. Whether a worker explains what is happening, waits for a response, protects privacy or allows enough time for participation can make a considerable difference.

The objective is not to prescribe an identical bathing routine or dressing method for everyone. It is to establish dependable safeguards while recognizing that personal care remains deeply personal, even when someone else provides the assistance.

The Vietnamese Legal and Professional Context

Viet Nam's Law on Older Persons No. 39/2009/QH12, as amended, provides an important legal foundation for the rights and protection of older people.

Article 3 recognizes rights relating to basic needs, including clothing, accommodation, mobility and healthcare. Article 4 includes state policies encouraging conditions in which older people can live safely and have their dignity respected. Article 9 prohibits specified forms of mistreatment, discrimination and infringement of lawful rights.

Article 11 is particularly relevant to certain formal care arrangements. Where a person with a legal duty and right to support an older person cannot provide direct care and entrusts that care to an individual or service organization, the arrangement requires the older person's agreement. The article also recognizes the older person's right to request that the responsible party change the entrusted care provider.

These provisions support the importance of respectful service delivery. They should not, however, be interpreted as establishing a detailed national procedure for every bathing, dressing or hygiene activity, or as applying the same contractual mechanism to all informal family assistance.

A more specific professional reference became available on July 1, 2026, when the Ministry of Health issued Decision No. 1976/QD-BYT, together with the Professional Guidance on Care for Older People at Home and in Community Settings.

Chapter IV addresses assistance with activities of daily living. Section 5 covers oral hygiene, grooming, nail care, hair washing, bathing, body washing and dressing. Its general principles include explaining the proposed assistance, obtaining the older person's agreement, preparing an appropriate position and arranging suitable equipment.

This guidance provides a useful technical reference for training, organizing and improving home- and community-based personal care. Its scope must nevertheless be understood correctly. It should not be presented as a universal licensing standard for residential long-term care providers or as authorization for personnel to perform clinical activities outside their competence or lawful responsibilities.

The regulatory framework for social assistance facilities is also changing.

As of November 1, 2026, Decree No. 103/2017/ND-CP, as amended, remains part of the applicable framework governing social assistance facilities. Decree No. 395/2026/ND-CP, issued on October 23, 2026, is scheduled to take effect on December 7, 2026, when Decree No. 103/2017/ND-CP will cease to have effect.

The newer decree addresses the operation and management of social assistance facilities, including specified types of long-term and daytime care services for older people. Its transitional provisions allow facilities already established and licensed under Decree No. 103/2017/ND-CP to continue operating without submitting a new initial activity notification under Article 11 of the newer decree.

Those facilities must review their arrangements, meet the applicable operational requirements and submit the required report within two years from the effective date of Decree No. 395/2026/ND-CP. The transitional provisions apply to the facilities described in the decree, not automatically to every organization offering personal assistance at home.

Providers should distinguish requirements currently in force from those that will apply when the new decree takes effect. They must also determine which provisions apply to their particular legal status and activities.

A provider offering nonmedical personal assistance at home, a residential social assistance facility and a licensed healthcare establishment may operate under different legal and professional requirements. Helping someone bathe or dress does not, by itself, authorize a worker to undertake medical examination, diagnosis or treatment.

International frameworks offer additional perspectives.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), whose guidance is relevant to health and social care in England and Wales, emphasizes person-centered home care, continuity of workers and sufficient time to provide assistance without compromising dignity.

Australia's Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, which took effect on November 1, 2025, for specified registered aged care providers, similarly emphasize individual preferences, personal rights, safe service delivery and maintaining function.

These international frameworks are not automatically applicable Vietnamese legal requirements. Their value lies in illustrating how principles of respectful care can be translated into practical service arrangements, workforce preparation and quality oversight.

Understanding the Assistance Needed Before Starting

A personal care routine should begin with an understanding of the individual rather than a fixed list of tasks.

One person may wash independently while seated but require help entering and leaving the bathroom. Another may need assistance with washing their hair because shoulder movement is painful. Someone else may be physically capable of bathing but need reminders or supervision because of cognitive difficulties.

The amount of assistance required may also change with fatigue, pain, illness or recovery.

Workers should understand which activities the person can perform safely, which require limited support and which cannot be completed without substantial assistance.

Sometimes preparing the environment, placing supplies within reach or providing verbal guidance is sufficient. At other times, direct physical assistance, suitable equipment or additional personnel may be necessary.

Helping someone remain involved in personal care does not mean asking them to attempt painful or unsafe movements. Equally, providing substantial assistance should not become automatic when the person is still capable of participating.

Preferences should be considered alongside functional needs. An older person may prefer bathing in the evening, using familiar personal care products or following a particular order when getting dressed. Another may dislike showers and feel more comfortable with an alternative method of washing.

There is no single bathing frequency or personal hygiene routine appropriate for every older person. Decisions should reflect hygiene needs, skin condition, comfort, individual wishes, functional ability and relevant professional advice.

Care instructions should provide enough information for workers to deliver consistent assistance while allowing reasonable adjustments when circumstances or preferences change.

The aim is to provide the help that is needed without unnecessarily replacing abilities the person can still use.

Making Bathing and Body Washing Safer

Bathing requires particular attention because water, movement, temperature and physical assistance can create risks within a relatively confined space.

Wet floors, inadequate lighting, unsuitable seating and difficult bathroom access may increase the likelihood of injury. Older people may also experience impaired balance, weakness, pain, reduced sensation or difficulty recognizing changes in water temperature.

Some people become dizzy when standing or changing position. Others may have difficulty communicating discomfort or recognizing when they need assistance.

Safe bathing begins before the person enters the bathroom.

Workers should consider whether the planned method remains appropriate, whether the environment is ready and whether suitable equipment and assistance are available. Water temperature, floor conditions, accessible support, seating and the person's ability to move safely all deserve attention.

For someone with limited mobility, a seated shower may be more appropriate than standing. Another person may require assistance with body washing outside the bathroom or, when necessary, while in bed.

Where substantial transfers or physical support are required, the assistance method should follow an appropriate assessment and remain within the worker's training and competence. The need for additional personnel or specialized equipment should be identified in advance wherever possible.

Equipment does not automatically make an activity safe. A shower chair or transfer aid must be suitable, maintained and used correctly. An unstable chair, inappropriate transfer method or improvised lifting technique can create additional hazards.

Workers also need to recognize when the planned activity should not proceed.

If an older person develops unexpected dizziness, marked weakness, breathlessness or unusual distress, completing the scheduled bath should no longer be the immediate priority. The worker should stop or modify the activity safely, respond within their competence and obtain appropriate assistance.

Equipment failure presents a similar decision. When essential support is unavailable, the safer response may be to arrange an alternative or postpone the activity rather than continue with an unassessed method.

Body washing in bed requires attention to positioning, comfort, room temperature, clean supplies, safe physical assistance and protection from unnecessary exposure. The person's privacy remains important even when they cannot move independently.

Throughout bathing, workers should explain what they are doing and remain attentive to discomfort, fatigue and the person's willingness to continue.

A completed bath should not be considered successful simply because the person is clean. An activity involving avoidable pain, fear, unsafe handling or disregard for personal wishes has not been delivered well.

Dressing and Grooming Should Reflect Personal Preferences

Helping someone dress may appear less hazardous than bathing, but it still requires thought and individual attention.

Clothing affects comfort, mobility and personal identity. A familiar shirt, preferred hairstyle or particular way of dressing may matter greatly to someone whose choices have become limited in other areas of life.

Care workers should support the person's preferred appearance wherever practical, rather than selecting clothing solely because it is easier to put on or fits the morning schedule.

Practical considerations also matter. Poorly fitting garments, difficult fastenings or unsuitable footwear may cause discomfort or interfere with safe movement. Someone with painful joints, restricted arm movement or weakness on one side may benefit from adapted clothing or assistance tailored to their limitations.

Workers should allow sufficient time for the person to participate where safely possible. This may involve preparing garments in the preferred order, helping with difficult fastenings or providing limited physical support without taking over the entire activity.

Grooming deserves similar consideration. Hair care, shaving and other aspects of personal appearance can help older people maintain familiar habits and a sense of identity.

These activities should reflect the person's wishes, needs and agreed service arrangements.

Some grooming tasks require additional caution because of fragile skin, reduced sensation, impaired circulation, wounds or other health conditions. Nail care, for example, may be inappropriate for routine assistance in certain circumstances without professional assessment.

Workers should understand the limits of their responsibilities and seek qualified advice when a task involves clinical concerns or specialized treatment.

The purpose is not to turn ordinary grooming into a medical procedure. It is to provide appropriate help without overlooking risks that may be significant for a particular person.

Daily Hygiene, Comfort and Infection Prevention

Daily hygiene extends beyond scheduled bathing.

Older people may need assistance with washing their hands and face, maintaining cleanliness after episodes of incontinence, changing soiled clothing or cleaning areas of the body they cannot comfortably reach.

These needs may arise throughout the day rather than only during a scheduled morning or evening routine.

Organizations should therefore consider how necessary hygiene assistance will be provided when it is needed, including when workers are occupied with other responsibilities.

Delaying cleansing because it falls outside the usual bathing schedule may cause discomfort and leave a person feeling neglected. Conversely, repeated washing that is unnecessary or excessively vigorous may irritate fragile skin.

Care should reflect the individual's condition and preferences, with professional advice when skin problems or other clinical concerns are present.

Routine infection prevention is also important.

Hand hygiene, clean supplies, appropriate protective equipment when indicated and measures to prevent cross-contamination should form part of everyday personal care. Reusable equipment and shared bathing facilities require suitable cleaning and maintenance arrangements.

Workers should know how to handle contaminated clothing and supplies safely while protecting the person's privacy.

Hygiene activities can also provide opportunities to notice possible health problems. New redness, unusual skin changes, broken skin, pain or unexplained injuries may warrant further attention.

Care workers should not be expected to diagnose these findings. Their responsibility is to recognize relevant changes, communicate concerns and obtain professional assessment where appropriate.

Organizations should distinguish routine hygiene assistance from wound treatment, clinical skin assessment and other activities requiring qualified healthcare personnel.

For older people who require frequent support, comfortable and respectful hygiene practices can make a substantial difference to everyday well-being. They should not be treated merely as housekeeping tasks.

Privacy, Consent and the Right to Decline

Intimate personal care places a person in a vulnerable position. Accepting assistance with bathing or dressing may mean allowing someone else to see or touch parts of the body that have always been private.

Respectful communication is therefore an essential part of safe care.

An older person who has agreed to receive home-care or residential care services has not necessarily agreed to every proposed form of physical assistance at every visit.

Before beginning intimate care, workers should explain what they intend to do and allow the person time to respond. Communication should continue throughout the activity, particularly when removing clothing, changing position or providing assistance involving sensitive parts of the body.

Privacy should be protected routinely. Doors or curtains should be closed when appropriate, unnecessary interruptions avoided and the body kept covered except where exposure is necessary for the activity.

Where feasible, preferences concerning the worker's gender, familiarity, language or approach should also be considered.

These preferences may arise from personal habits, cultural expectations, previous care experiences or simply the comfort of knowing who will provide intimate assistance.

Not every preference can always be accommodated immediately. Providers should nevertheless take requests seriously, explain genuine service limitations and explore acceptable alternatives.

Confidentiality extends beyond the physical care interaction. Personal care records should contain information necessary for safe and appropriate service delivery without unnecessary intimate details. Photographs or videos of someone receiving intimate assistance should never be treated as a routine substitute for proper documentation. Any collection or use of such sensitive material requires an appropriate lawful basis, a justified purpose and suitable privacy safeguards.

Declining assistance requires particular care.

An older person may refuse bathing because they feel cold, are experiencing pain, do not recognize the worker, are embarrassed or simply prefer to wash later.

The worker's first response should be to understand the reason rather than assume that refusal is a problem to overcome.

Changing the time, adapting the method or arranging assistance from a familiar worker may resolve the difficulty. Sometimes, however, the person will continue to decline.

Cognitive impairment does not automatically eliminate the ability to express preferences or participate in decisions. People may need simpler explanations, additional time, familiar routines or other communication support.

A diagnosis of dementia should not, by itself, be treated as a legal determination that someone has lost civil act capacity. Questions concerning legal capacity, representation and decision-making authority must be addressed under the applicable Vietnamese legal framework.

Family members may provide valuable assistance, particularly when communication is difficult or the person's needs are complex. However, a family member's request or responsibility for paying for services does not automatically confer unrestricted authority to override the older person's lawful rights or preferences.

Workers should not use threats, humiliation or physical force merely to complete a scheduled personal care activity.

When refusal of essential hygiene assistance creates a significant and unresolved health or safety concern, the provider should seek appropriate assessment and follow the relevant professional and legal decision-making arrangements.

Respect for personal choice does not remove the responsibility to recognize serious risks. It requires those risks to be addressed without assuming that coercion is an acceptable routine response.

Recognizing When Personal Care Reveals a New Concern

Bathing, dressing and daily hygiene often bring workers into close contact with older people, creating opportunities to notice changes that might otherwise be missed.

A worker may observe that someone who previously stood independently now struggles to rise. Another person may report unexpected pain while dressing or become unusually breathless during an activity that was previously manageable.

New confusion, sudden weakness, unexplained injuries or substantial changes in skin condition may also deserve attention.

Recognizing these changes does not require a care worker to establish a diagnosis.

Their immediate responsibility is to respond appropriately, communicate the observation and obtain assistance through the service's established procedures.

Some concerns can be addressed through routine follow-up with the care coordinator or a relevant professional. Others require prompt clinical review.

Sudden severe breathlessness, chest pain, loss of consciousness, new one-sided weakness or other signs of serious acute illness require an appropriate emergency response.

Organizations should make these distinctions understandable to workers rather than relying on individual judgment without adequate preparation or support.

Unexplained injuries or signs suggesting possible mistreatment also require a careful response. Such observations should not automatically be treated as proof of abuse, but neither should they be dismissed without appropriate consideration.

Workers should document relevant facts, protect confidentiality and report concerns through established safeguarding and professional channels consistent with applicable law.

Records should describe what was observed, how the person responded and what action followed. Unsupported diagnostic conclusions or speculation should be avoided.

When someone's care needs change, the planned assistance may also need to change. Simply increasing physical help without considering why a familiar activity has become difficult could delay necessary professional assessment.

Organizing Personal Care in Home and Residential Settings

Home-care and residential long-term care services face different practical constraints.

In a private home, the provider may have limited control over bathroom design, household equipment, available space and whether another person is present to assist.

Before agreeing to provide a particular level of personal care, the organization should understand whether the environment and available resources allow the proposed assistance to be delivered safely.

If equipment is unsuitable or the person requires more physical support than expected, the provider may need to discuss adaptations, adjust the assistance method, arrange additional support or reconsider whether the service can safely meet the person's needs.

Workers should not be expected to compensate for every environmental limitation through additional physical effort.

Residential facilities generally have greater operational control over shared spaces, supplies, equipment and staffing arrangements. They can establish regular equipment checks, maintain bathing areas, organize supervisory support and prepare suitable environments for personal care.

However, residential care also presents competing demands.

Several residents may need assistance at the same time. Some require more time because of mobility or communication difficulties. Shared bathing facilities can create scheduling pressures, while changes in staffing may disrupt familiar routines.

A common timetable may help organize work, but it should not become the sole determinant of when residents bathe, dress or receive personal assistance.

Where practical, organizational routines should accommodate individual needs and preferences rather than requiring everyone to follow the same schedule for staff convenience.

In both settings, service arrangements should make responsibilities understandable. Older people, relevant family members and providers need to know which activities are included, what level of assistance is available and what happens when needs exceed the service's capability.

Changes in care needs should prompt appropriate review rather than informal expansion of workers' duties.

A well-organized service should be flexible enough to respond to the individual while maintaining clear boundaries around what it can safely provide.

Giving Workers the Time and Support to Deliver Good Care

A worker may understand how to provide respectful personal care and still struggle to deliver it when the service is poorly organized.

Bathing someone who needs physical assistance may require time to prepare equipment, explain what will happen, support movement, allow the person to participate and respond to unexpected difficulties.

When visits are scheduled too tightly, these activities can become rushed.

The same problem arises in residential care when several residents require substantial support during the same period but staffing arrangements do not adequately reflect their needs.

Time allocation is therefore a quality and safety consideration, not simply an administrative decision.

NICE guideline NG21 emphasizes that home-care arrangements should allow sufficient time for workers to provide good care, communicate with the person and travel between appointments. The related NICE Quality Standard QS123 describes home-care visits of at least 30 minutes, except when shorter visits for specific tasks or checks have been agreed as part of a wider package of support.

This is a NICE quality benchmark, not a legally mandated minimum home-care visit duration in Viet Nam. Its transferable principle is that allocated time should reflect the person's assessed needs and the assistance being provided.

Staffing arrangements also need to reflect the complexity of care.

Someone requiring supervision while washing independently has different support needs from a person who requires substantial assistance with transfers, positioning and personal hygiene.

Workers should receive practical preparation appropriate to their responsibilities. This includes communication during intimate care, hygiene, safe physical assistance, use of relevant equipment, recognition of concerning changes and understanding when a task exceeds their competence.

Training should not be considered complete simply because an employee has attended a course.

Practical observation, feedback and reassessment are important, particularly when workers begin using unfamiliar equipment or assisting people with more complex needs.

Supervisors should make it possible for workers to report difficulties and request help without feeling pressured to improvise unsafe assistance.

Continuity is another important organizational consideration. Familiar workers may understand an older person's routine, recognize subtle changes and know which approaches are most comfortable.

At the same time, safe care should not depend entirely on one employee. Clear care information and appropriate handover arrangements should enable another competent worker to provide assistance when staffing changes occur.

The World Health Organization's October 2026 publication, Development, Management and Support of Care Workers – Towards an Integrated Health and Care Workforce: Policy Options, reinforces the importance of workforce preparation, management and support across home, healthcare and residential settings.

The publication addresses both paid and unpaid care workers while recognizing differences in their roles and circumstances. It provides evidence-informed policy options rather than a certification standard for care providers in Viet Nam.

For organizations, the practical lesson is that safe personal care requires more than individual goodwill. Workers need suitable training, reasonable workloads, appropriate equipment, supervision and reliable ways to obtain assistance.

Understanding Personal Care Quality Beyond Recorded Activities

Most care providers can determine whether a planned bathing, dressing or hygiene activity was recorded as completed.

That information is useful, but it cannot fully describe the quality of the assistance.

A bath may be documented as completed even though the person felt rushed or uncomfortable. Dressing assistance may be recorded without showing whether the person had an opportunity to choose their clothing or participate independently.

Planned care may also fail to take place for different reasons.

An older person making an informed choice to postpone bathing is not the same as a missed visit, unavailable equipment or insufficient staffing. Combining these situations into one incomplete-care measure can conceal operational problems and misrepresent legitimate personal choices.

Quality monitoring should therefore consider the circumstances in which assistance is delivered.

Organizations may examine whether personal care instructions reflect current needs and preferences, whether workers have demonstrated relevant competence, whether suitable equipment is consistently available and whether interruptions or omissions are appropriately addressed.

Feedback from older people is particularly valuable.

A brief conversation about whether someone feels comfortable, has sufficient time or is satisfied with the assistance received may reveal issues that routine records do not capture.

For people who have difficulty communicating, providers may need adapted approaches to understanding comfort, distress and preferences. Family members or other supporters may contribute useful observations, but their views should not automatically replace the older person's own responses.

Complaints, incidents, care records and supervisory observations can help identify recurring difficulties.

Repeated concerns about rushed bathing, for example, may indicate scheduling problems rather than a lack of effort by individual workers. Reports of discomfort during transfers may reveal unsuitable equipment or inadequate preparation.

Monitoring should remain proportionate to the organization's size and service complexity.

The objective is not to create excessive paperwork or encourage workers to complete more activities. It is to understand where everyday care is falling short and what practical changes could improve the safety and experience of people receiving support.

Making Better Personal Care Part of Daily Practice

Improvement often begins with examining how one familiar activity is actually delivered.

A provider might review bathing assistance over several days and compare the intended care arrangement with what workers and older people experience.

The review may reveal that some visits allow insufficient preparation time, essential equipment is not consistently available or individual preferences are poorly communicated between workers.

In a residential facility, difficulties may be concentrated during periods when many residents require assistance simultaneously.

These are organizational problems that cannot be solved through reminders to workers alone.

Practical improvements may include clearer care instructions, better equipment maintenance, adjustments to scheduling, more focused training or improved handover when staff assignments change.

The older person's experience should help determine which changes matter.

Care arrangements must also remain responsive over time.

Someone who required substantial assistance following hospitalization may later regain enough ability to complete parts of their bathing or dressing routine independently. Continuing the previous level of assistance without review may no longer be appropriate.

Conversely, increasing weakness, pain or cognitive difficulties may require additional support or a different method of care.

A routine that was suitable several months earlier should not automatically remain unchanged.

Organizations do not need to redesign every aspect of their service at once. They can begin with a specific difficulty, understand why it occurs, make a practical change and examine whether the experience improves.

Meaningful improvement is often visible in relatively small changes: a resident being given enough time to choose clothing, a worker having access to appropriate transfer equipment or a home-care visit being reorganized so that bathing assistance is no longer rushed.

These changes matter because they make good care more dependable rather than leaving it to the effort of individual workers.

From Completing Tasks to Delivering Personal Care Well

Bathing, dressing and daily hygiene are ordinary activities, but needing assistance can make them deeply personal experiences.

For an older person, receiving help may involve adjusting to reduced physical ability, accepting unfamiliar routines or allowing someone else into a private part of everyday life.

A good care worker recognizes that vulnerability. They explain what they are doing, support the person's preferences, protect privacy and avoid taking over more than is necessary.

A good care organization creates the conditions in which those practices are consistently possible. It provides suitable staffing, equipment, training, supervision and clear arrangements for responding when care cannot safely proceed as planned.

For Viet Nam, the continued development of home- and long-term care services creates an opportunity to strengthen these everyday practices through appropriate preparation, individualized assistance and practical quality improvement.

The Ministry of Health's 2026 professional guidance provides a relevant reference for home- and community-based care. International frameworks offer additional perspectives on workforce competence, adequate service time, maintaining function and quality oversight. Their application must remain consistent with Vietnamese law and the responsibilities of each provider.

Ultimately, the quality of personal care is reflected in the experience of the person receiving it.

Was the assistance safe? Did the person understand what was happening? Were their preferences considered? Could they participate in the activities they were still able to perform? Did they feel comfortable and respected?

These questions matter because personal care is not simply work performed on another person's body. It is assistance provided within a relationship that requires trust, sensitivity and respect.

When organizations take that responsibility seriously, bathing, dressing and daily hygiene become more than completed tasks. They become everyday opportunities to protect safety, preserve dignity and support the way older people wish to live.

References and Further Reading

1. National Assembly of Viet Nam. Law on Older Persons No. 39/2009/QH12, adopted November 23, 2009, as amended. Particularly relevant are Articles 3, 4, 9 and 11 concerning older people's rights, dignity, protection and entrusted care arrangements.

2. Ministry of Health, Viet Nam. Decision No. 1976/QD-BYT, dated July 1, 2026, issuing the Professional Guidance on Care for Older People at Home and in Community Settings. Chapter IV, Section 5 addresses assistance with personal hygiene, grooming, bathing and dressing.

3. Government of Viet Nam. Decree No. 103/2017/ND-CP, dated September 12, 2017, concerning the establishment, organization, operation, dissolution and management of social assistance facilities, as amended.

4. Government of Viet Nam. Decree No. 395/2026/ND-CP, dated October 23, 2026, concerning the operation and management of social assistance facilities. Effective December 7, 2026. Articles 20 and 21 address implementation and transitional arrangements.

5. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Home Care: Delivering Personal Care and Practical Support to Older People Living in Their Own Homes. NICE Guideline NG21. 2015.

6. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Home Care for Older People. Quality Standard QS123. 2016. Particularly Quality Statement 4 concerning the length of home-care visits.

7. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Australia. Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Particularly Standard 1: The Individual, and Standard 3: The Care and Services, including Outcome 3.2 concerning delivery of funded aged care services. Applicable to specified Australian aged care providers from November 1, 2025.

8. World Health Organization. Development, Management and Support of Care Workers – Towards an Integrated Health and Care Workforce: Policy Options. Geneva: WHO; October 20, 2026. ISBN 9789240124011.

Editorial Note

This article is an independent, evidence-informed discussion of quality, safety and organizational implementation in personal care services for older people in Viet Nam. It is intended for general education and quality improvement. It does not constitute individualized clinical advice, legal advice, a technical procedure for providing intimate care or an accreditation or certification standard.

Vietnamese legal and professional requirements are distinguished from international frameworks used for reference. Applicable obligations depend on the provider's legal status, authorized service activities, workforce responsibilities and relevant regulations. Organizations should verify current requirements and obtain appropriate clinical, professional or legal advice when developing care procedures or managing situations involving significant risk.

Publication by Healthy Longevity Vietnam (HLVN) does not imply that HLVN provides, licenses, regulates, certifies or accredits personal care services.

Legal and evidence review date: November 1, 2026.