Does a power of attorney for personal care cover hygiene and grooming decisions?

Yes. In Ontario, a power of attorney for personal care is broad enough to cover daily living and personal care decisions such as hygiene, grooming, nutrition, clothing, and similar matters — not just major medical decisions.

This becomes relevant when someone with dementia or another condition resists personal care or cannot express their own preferences. Care staff in a facility or at home may need authorization to assist with bathing, grooming, dental hygiene, dressing, or feeding. If the person is incapable of consenting to this type of care, the attorney for personal care can provide or withhold consent.

In practice, most daily personal care tasks in a licensed long-term care home or home care setting are governed by standard care plans developed with the resident and their substitute decision-maker. The attorney's role is often to approve, modify, or express preferences about those care plans rather than consenting to every individual act.

The attorney should always act on the person's known wishes and preferences where possible — for example, if the person always preferred showers over baths, or had a specific religious or cultural practice around grooming, the attorney should communicate that to care staff and advocate for it. Personal dignity is an important consideration even in seemingly routine decisions.