Concerns and questions around bathing is very common for many of our clients.  We are going to share another story this month as we hope it may help to spark more creative ideas if you too are having difficulties.

A Simple Task

Getting into a bathtub, turning on the shower or running the bathwater—it’s a simple task for most, a part of our daily routine that we give little thought to. However, for many of those with dementia and their caregivers, bath time is anything but simple. It can be a challenging endeavour, a trigger point in the day for frustration, stress and anxiety. After cajoling, insisting, negotiating, sometimes even pleading. Many caregivers and dementia patients alike breathe a sigh of relief when it’s all over.

Pinpointing The Cause

The challenge of bath time was highlighted to me again recently when, at the end of one of my “Cracking the Dementia Code” workshops. I was approached by a participant, a professional caregiver, whose client was refusing to take a bath. We talked about the situation and put our detective hats on. We begin deciphering what the main reasons could be for her client’s behaviour. I learned that the client affected by dementia displayed two different types of reactions to bath time. And it depends on how she was approached. When she is approached in her room by two people, she was cooperative. But when she is approached by this particular caregiver alone, she became resistant. To pinpoint the specific cause for this resistance. We then began to dig deeper by gathering the Ph.A.C.T.S.™   In the end of our 5 minute conversation, we determined the problem seemed to stem from a trigger from how she was invited to take a bath.

The reason why we came to this conclusion is because while I was speaking with the caregiver. I noticed that she herself was feeling nervous and anxious. Even when she was asking me the question of how to help her client.  If I was able to sense her unease, then it was likely that the client was noticing the same. Anticipating the stress of bath time, the caregiver’s nervousness was causing the client to feel unsettled. We realized that having the second staff member present helped the situation. Because the caregiver was more relaxed, which put the client at ease.

Creative Solutions

Now that we understood the most likely reason WHY her client has been refusing her bath. We began coming up with some creative solutions. In having another staff member present while approaching the client to bathe was one solution. However, another strategy we came up with was having the caregiver request the client to go to the bathroom for a different reason other than bathing. Let me explain…since the client really enjoys music and loves to help, she is comfortable when she is in the bathing room. So then we came up with the strategy of asking the resident “for help” to determine the name of a song. Which was then playing on a CD player located in the bathing room. This creative approach provided a relaxed way for the caregiver to ask the client to leave her room. The caregiver was so excited to give this a try!  She appeared confident this idea would work.

Finding out WHY the behaviour was occurring was key in leading us to the solutions. This whole process took less than 10 minutes. Whether the daily challenge is bath time, a refusal to eat, or a reluctance to change clothes, digging deep to unearth the clues and understand WHY provides the path to practical and creative solutions that can bring greater ease to both those affected by dementia and those who care for them.

As a dementia consultant and educator, I am always excited about helping professional and family caregivers find creative solutions. If you are interested in our free 20 minute consult please contact me at: 778-789-1496