Bathing

Oftentimes, older individuals don't bathe everyday.  Since they are not out mowing the lawn or otherwise working up a sweat, it is reasonable for them to bathe every other day, or, in some cases, every third day depending on the type of activity with which they've been involved. But bathing can be an issue for many seniors when they become too cold or too hot.

It is very important to establish and maintain a regimen with the senior in your care because it helps to give them a sense of autonomy. For instance, if you say things like "It's Wednesday Mom. It's time for your bath. We always do this at lunch time. You've asked me to do this every Wednesday at lunch time," it helps her to think to herself "Oh! I asked to have a bath on Wednesday." A bath chair is a wonderful thing because it gives the senior individual added comfort and security that they, nor the caregiver, are going to slip and fall. It also provides the opportunity to have the shower head constantly on the individual which helps prevent them from getting too hot or too cold. It is advisable to start with cooler water and work your way up to warmer water rather than turning from hot to cold.

One thing I've found to be helpful is to put a towel on the back of the individual I'm bathing which helps to keep their shoulders warm while I'm bathing their legs and feet since, during that time, the water is not directly on their shoulders, they tend to get chilled. The flexibility of the skin and skin integrity for seniors is often in jeopardy. So, I definitely recommend using a very, very mild non-abrasive moisturizer so the skin is not irritated. You certainly do not want to scrub the skin like you would with a luffa pad or anything of that sort.   But, you do want to keep the skin moisturized and soft.

Once the individual has had a bath, that's the best time to clip their nails. When I'm bathing someone, I ask them to bathe their own private parts. It's important not to neglect this part of the body. If I feel that they are uncomfortable, I'll turn my head and say, "Okay, let me know when you’re finished bathing your private parts." Some individuals prefer that they not be bathed by their son or daughter or another family member. In this case, it is helpful to have someone outside the family assist them with bathing. But, as with many other aspects of elder care, I've learned, that it is important to remain flexible in providing solutions to these circumstances.

As things progress, different solutions may be more appropriate and acceptable. For instance, they may prefer to have someone outside the family to assist with bathing for 2 months. And, perhaps, after 2 months, they come to a point where they don't care who's bathing them, so it doesn't really matter anymore. So, as you can see, none of these solutions I learned are constant. As a matter of fact, it seems to be more of a moving target causing you to implement different strategies at different stages.

The main thing is to remember that nothing has to be perfect. You might only get them to take a quick shower this time; but, next time, they might wash their hair. One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that if they get cold, it is over. So, be really careful with the water temperature and the air temperature in the bathroom. I have found it to be helpful to start the shower on hot with the bathroom door closed just to warm up the bathroom. Then I go in and turn the shower to the appropriate temperature before letting them know it's time to take a shower.