Complaints about personal care

[Pear trees]

I had a phone call from my mum's community bus administrator on Friday. She bluntly said that my mum needed help with her personal care as there had been a complaint from another bus user about her. She advised that if there were any more complaints Mum would no longer be able to use the bus to her lunch club (who incidentally have never commented on her personal care). I think one
Lady regularly complains about all the other older ladies with dementia using the bus.
I saw my mum onto the bus on Wednesday and she definitely did not smell. She had given herself a basin wash and was wearing clean clothes. My SIL checks on her other days and checks she has washed.
We have bought her some perfumed soap, new flannels and body spray, and SIL is putting pads in all her clean pants.
My mum will not cooperate or accept professional carers, and has shouted at them to get out of her house. I am looking at fitting a walkin shower so SIL can shower her 2/3 times a week (a challenge since the house has not had any work done since I got married 38 years ago!)

 

[marionq]

The walk in shower is a good start in fact a must for PWD. On the bus they are in close proximity and I notice that some of the ladies on my husband's bus are definitely dressed for a day out. I don't think perfumes matter but just clean hair and bodies and clean clothes. Can you persuade her to dress to impress and wash as if she was going somewhere special? - I'm sure you've already tried that.

 

[Bod]

I had a phone call from my mum's community bus administrator on Friday. She bluntly said that my mum needed help with her personal care as there had been a complaint from another bus user about her. She advised that if there were any more complaints Mum would no longer be able to use the bus to her lunch club (who incidentally have never commented on her personal care). I think one
Lady regularly complains about all the other older ladies with dementia using the bus.
I saw my mum onto the bus on Wednesday and she definitely did not smell. She had given herself a basin wash and was wearing clean clothes. My SIL checks on her other days and checks she has washed.
We have bought her some perfumed soap, new flannels and body spray, and SIL is putting pads in all her clean pants.
My mum will not cooperate or accept professional carers, and has shouted at them to get out of her house. I am looking at fitting a walkin shower so SIL can shower her 2/3 times a week (a challenge since the house has not had any work done since I got married 38 years ago!)

Do you or SiL actually see her wash?
Does the lunch club have an opinion on her personal care?
Be aware suitable walk-in showers are expensive, and she may not use one at all!
A full wet-room shower was fitted for my father, I can count the times he used it on the fingers of one hand(not needing the thumb) in the year before he went into care.

Bod

 

[canary]

I notice that you say that she wears pads. Is this perhaps an incontinence issue where the pad wasnt properly placed or there was um, overflow? I always have to check mums pad before we go out anywhere. If she is wearing a clean pad before she goes out and it is an overflow problem perhaps she needs more absorbent pads.

 

[Pear trees]

Thanks for your advice. My SIL has seen my mum give herself a wash and she does it OK, just slow. She even washes her short hair over the kitchen sink (as she has always done). She has been continent up till now, but I think she had a mishap on Friday after my SIL had left, so we are going to start her getting used to pads.
Her lunch club have commented on how nice she looks, and personal care has never been mentioned.
I am still going to look at a basic walkin shower.
Hopefully my SIL and I could then shower her regularly.