It really should depend on the reaction of each resident, if your mum does not like her hair ruffled then he should not do it, but he is obviously unaware of her dislike.
When working as a carer I found a smile, gentle voice and some physical contact worked well, but you have to be sensitive about who and when. My mother who I care for, will welcome me sitting with her and holding her hand one day, and another day she will pull her hand away. She had a nasty fall last weekend, I arrived to find she had got out of bed herself, normally she now needs assistance to stand and walk, and once I had checked that there were no broken bones I covered her up and sat on the floor stroking her face which calmed her down before I moved her, later that day she was back to her stroppy self.
When working as a carer I found a smile, gentle voice and some physical contact worked well, but you have to be sensitive about who and when. My mother who I care for, will welcome me sitting with her and holding her hand one day, and another day she will pull her hand away. She had a nasty fall last weekend, I arrived to find she had got out of bed herself, normally she now needs assistance to stand and walk, and once I had checked that there were no broken bones I covered her up and sat on the floor stroking her face which calmed her down before I moved her, later that day she was back to her stroppy self.
