Why can showering or bathing cause problems?
Can I ask you; how would you feel if you had to be naked in front of someone you may consider a stranger? Can I also ask, what if you were used to having a bath and you were forced to have a shower? What if you liked having a shower at the end of the day and now someone is telling you to shower in the morning? There are many reasons why showering and bathing can be confronting.
Firstly, bathing of any sort can be extremely intimate. Many of us can feel vulnerable when naked, especially in front of strangers. For a person living with a dementia even familiar people may unfortunately be regarded as ‘strangers’. It is important to learn about personal bathing preferences and for this to be accommodated where possible. Knowing when someone likes to shower or have a bath is the first step. Knowing if a shower or bath is preferred is the second. It is also vitally important to talk to the person at every step of the way, from talking about disrobing, to getting into the shower or bath, to providing some form of modesty cover (this could be a face washer or small towel, or a modesty cape), so intimate areas can be covered. A face washer also enables the person to wash him or herself. It doesn’t matter if that area needs to be washed again, every person at any age needs to feel in control of their ablutions. It is also important to learn about water pressure. When my father was in hospital the nurses told me that Dad would just get up and leave the shower without them being able to wash him. As a result, I assisted Dad with his shower. I first warmed the shower chair with hot running water, so it wasn’t cold for Dad to sit on. And talked to Dad about each step, from taking clothes off, to getting in the shower. But Dad kept telling me the water was too hot. I knew Dad loved a nice shower. We had done this many times. (He also liked a bath, which I helped him with at home.) On this occasion I kept checking the water temperature of the shower, adjusting it so it couldn’t be considered too hot. I knew it wasn’t too hot, if I turned it any cooler it would be too cold. I had to think laterally, not literally. When I thought of the water and how it could feel to Dad it suddenly dawned on me that it may not be temperature Dad was referring to, but the pressure. It wasn’t too hot; it was too hard. With that in mind I adjusted the pressure, brought the heat back to where it was pleasant, and suddenly Dad was happy and enjoyed a long luxuriating shower, finishing off with Dad holding the nozzle and running it over his chest.
< Back to FAQs