Help with bath time

[Rootshalle]

Hello,

My mum is in a care home. She's settled in quite well I think, she's been there since Nov. last year.

The main issue is Mum isn't batheing and taking care of personal hygiene. The problem is that if the staff (or I) finally coax her into the bathroom she wants to bath & wash herself. Well that's not really a problem but sometimes she just gets dressed again, other times I'm told she has got into the bath with her clothes on. She's so independantly minded (that's polite for being stubborn!) that when staff try to help her she gets angry with them & storms off. Mum would prefer to have the door locked but staff need to keep an eye out to ensure she's safe + also want to ensure she really is in the bath.

Anyway any thoughts or ideas on this? Mum really does need a bath! She of course thinks she is clean & bathes regularly. Its all very frustrating though I appreciate matters could be a whole lot worse... - but if there are ideas I can use or pass on they would be gratefully received.

regards - R

 

[ella24]

Hiya

my gran is/was the same...

the staff at my gran's home tell her that the 'house rules' are that 'everyone has to have at least one bath a week', and that there is a 'rota' and that Thrusday/Tuesday/whatever day it is, is HER day on the rota. (she is now up to 2 times a week - or more if needed)

They then tell her that they will help her into/out of the bath 'or we'll get into trouble if we leave you alone' - and I think they do her back and awkward to reach bits....

For Gran's part - she has told me that the home is very strict about baths, and everyone has to have one 'or they're out', and she thinks someone comes in to do the bath duties

e

 

[KatherineW]

Hi Rootshalle

I’m sure other members will be along with their ideas and advice, but in the meantime here are a couple of things that may help...

Firstly, Alzheimer’s Society produces a factsheet called Washing and Bathing.

Also, I just used the tag search facility to look for threads on TP in which washing is discussed. (For more information on tags and how they work, see here).

There are quite a few threads on this topic, so hopefully this link may also be useful to you:

http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/tags.php?tag=washing

Best wishes

Katherine

 

[Amber 5]

Hi,
My mum is forever stalling/putting off a bath in her care home too. I've just been there and helped her with the second bath in about 7 weeks!! I decided at the weekend to say to her that 'Monday was going to be bath day' and managed to stick to it - even though she tried to get out of it when I arrived today. It's seemed a sensitive subject for so long now that I realised that if I keep on accepting her excuses, it will just never happen.

So as of today, Monday is bath day!!! I'll see how long it works for. I know some days she may not feel up to it in which case I will wait till the next day. She says how nice it is when she's actually in there and seems genuinely happy/relieved to be helped. It's all quite tiring for her which I'm sure is part of the reason she says she doesn't want one.

I expect you've tried coaxing with some lovely bubble bath, talc, etc. She sounds quite independent though, so I know it's not so simple. Hope something works soon. Best of luck - you are not alone.
Regards, Gill x

 

[Cl13]

HI R, I know all to well how you feel, my mum came to live with me last Sept until going in her CH this July, in all the time mum was with me I managed to get her in the bath twice, both times were when she had UTI's and being in the bath seemed to calm her but that was it twice in 10 month.
When I first brought mum home with me she did have an odour about her but she refused to get in the bath, always said tomorrow, I even bout a bath lift she got on it twice fully clothed, 1st time just to show her it was safe and she wouldn't fall 2nd time she did it again to show my sister, that was it.
mums problem was that she has no sense of smell, so when I told her she had BO and although she couldn't smell it, every-one else could, in the end she said she would have a strip wash, I agreed providing she washed properly including all her bits,and she did a complete wash every day, I would wake he when my OH was doing the school run, see her into the bathroom, fill the basin and soap the sponge and away she'd go, I'd leave her for a bit then pop my head round the door and say, dont forget your bit and your arm pits mum, she would laugh and wash all her little bits, she wasn't bothered that I was there,
I then re-introduced her to antiperspirant which she used after washing every day,
I had to tell the staff her routine in the hospital as she was there for 7 wks, and when she went into her CH I told them too,
no-one was surprised at that and just did as I had done.

mum carried on with her daily routine when suddenly some-one coaxed her into having a bath.
It was never the washing that bothered her it was the bath, I think she was afraid of the water, and I think its the dementia that caused it.
Don't know if she'll get it again or not, we'll see, but as long as mum is clean I was never worried how she got clean just as long as she did.
Try not to worry about it I think most people get round it one way or another,

Take care

Love Lynn

 

[Rootshalle]

Just wanted to say thanks to all for your replies. Some ideas here that I'll give a go & discuss with care home.

I have discussed this issue in the past with the manager of the care home re. Mum's care plan. It's been an issue for a while but came to a head again on Saturday when I got my mum into the bathroom but she then didn't like staff not leaving her alone. I have been successful in the past but it's ironic that when I get to visit Mum I'm spending a lot of my time trying to encourage her to bath, when that works she enjoys her bath & I don't get to see her much! - when it doesn't work & she refuses to bath I get frustrated with it all.....hey ho!!


Take care all - regards R

 

[Cate]

My mum developed water phobia with her AD. She was terrified of water, so in the end I agreed with the NH staff it really wasnt worth making her and my life a misery.

She had her hair done once a week (the hairdresser at the NH had a back wash), and the rest of her was washed in 'bits' by the staff when they could catch mum in the right mood.

Once it wasnt made such a big issue and she realised nobody was going to try to get her into a bath or shower, she was more willing to have 'strip wash', the girls would sit her on a chair in her bathroom, take her top off and do that bit, then dress that bit again, and repeat the process with the bottom half.

I think the fact that not all her clothing was removed at once did the trick, and of course she wasnt submerged in water.

Try giving that a go, it could be mum has also developed water phobia, I understand its not uncommon with the dreadful disease, or could be she doenst want to be stripped off either.

Best wishes
Cate