Refusal to bathe is common in people with dementia. Once they are ready, special obstacles pop up. Here are a dozen simple techniques to make bathing so much easier and more pleasant.
My beloved Late Dad developed a fear of the water...Baths became impossible..so we had to wash him head to toe while he stood in the bathroom. To see such a great man be so terribly stripped of every bit of dignity was heartbreaking. Thankfully I knew he was not aware in such a manner to he embarrassed but I know if he did know he would have been mortified...I also had to be with him when going to the toilet to tell him what to do...He had the most loving care from me and a lady who assisted. I miss him so much.
I deal with dementia every day in my personal life and in my work life. In all the training and personal experience I've ever gotten in my life surrounding dementia I have never been told to lie to them. I know what any dementia patient wants more is to be treated with respect and honesty and lying to them saying they're going to go to the spa is just being disrespectful. Also this video is beyond staged and not how typical dementia people will react. This is the first and last time I ever come to this website.
For my situation assisting my husband with a shower is difficult. i do create a comfortable environment for him and explain what the next step of cleaning himself is. I tell him i want to massage his back and legs which means i am going to wash his backside top to bottom with gentle massaging motions. Is this lying? I say no. it is meeting his hygiene needs with compassion. He can't always communicate his fears and pleasures but i get a kiss when we are done and he says he feels much better. We treat shower time as something special. I am a 24/7 caregiver. and any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated.
If only it was easy s that.My Dad can not answer or tell me what he likes or dislikes.
ReplyDeleteMy beloved Late Dad developed a fear of the water...Baths became impossible..so we had to wash him head to toe while he stood in the bathroom. To see such a great man be so terribly stripped of every bit of dignity was heartbreaking. Thankfully I knew he was not aware in such a manner to he embarrassed but I know if he did know he would have been mortified...I also had to be with him when going to the toilet to tell him what to do...He had the most loving care from me and a lady who assisted. I miss him so much.
ReplyDeleteI deal with dementia every day in my personal life and in my work life. In all the training and personal experience I've ever gotten in my life surrounding dementia I have never been told to lie to them. I know what any dementia patient wants more is to be treated with respect and honesty and lying to them saying they're going to go to the spa is just being disrespectful. Also this video is beyond staged and not how typical dementia people will react. This is the first and last time I ever come to this website.
ReplyDeleteFor my situation assisting my husband with a shower is difficult. i do create a comfortable environment for him and explain what the next step of cleaning himself is. I tell him i want to massage his back and legs which means i am going to wash his backside top to bottom with gentle massaging motions. Is this lying? I say no. it is meeting his hygiene needs with compassion. He can't always communicate his fears and pleasures but i get a kiss when we are done and he says he feels much better. We treat shower time as something special. I am a 24/7 caregiver. and any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated.
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