Make Bath Time Special For Your Aging Loved One
Allow Her Some Grace
"I would give her a pedicure, add some bubbles," Aaron, 67, said. "I wanted to do something special for her."
Aaron's mother, 88, suffers from Alzheimer's and now lives in a nursing home a few hours drive away from Aaron in Arkansas. When Aaron's father became too ill to help care for his wife, Aaron and her brother, brought in an in home caregiver from a local caregiver agency for a few hours each day. However, Aaron said that it was more aggravating to her mother to have a stranger try to bathe her.
"Sometimes it's touchy," Aaron said. "It wasn't that she didn't want to be undressed in front of me, but sometimes she would refuse the aides. I would tell her, ‘Let's make it like a spa,' and that is a place where someone else would be taking care of all this for you."
The reasons for someone to get "touchy" or refuse a bath can be many—from embarrassment (privacy) to a change in routine, fear of water, and simply not feeling well.
Simple Tips for Caregivers
Thanks to her work as a wellness and nutrition coach, Aaron was able to use some home health tips also recommended by the experts:
Aaron's father remained well enough for years to bathe himself and still do most of the care for his wife, Aaron would also treat her father to foot baths. "He would say, ‘You're spoiling me.'"
One thing that is recommended by Aaron for either children of elderly parents or their in home caregivers is to always be respectful.
"I would never want to take away their dignity," she said. "I did anything to just be respectful of my parents. They deserved it! Look at all our parents have done for us. I would never want to talk down to them—they are adults, just weak and frail."
"I would give her a pedicure, add some bubbles," Aaron, 67, said. "I wanted to do something special for her."
Aaron's mother, 88, suffers from Alzheimer's and now lives in a nursing home a few hours drive away from Aaron in Arkansas. When Aaron's father became too ill to help care for his wife, Aaron and her brother, brought in an in home caregiver from a local caregiver agency for a few hours each day. However, Aaron said that it was more aggravating to her mother to have a stranger try to bathe her.
"Sometimes it's touchy," Aaron said. "It wasn't that she didn't want to be undressed in front of me, but sometimes she would refuse the aides. I would tell her, ‘Let's make it like a spa,' and that is a place where someone else would be taking care of all this for you."
The reasons for someone to get "touchy" or refuse a bath can be many—from embarrassment (privacy) to a change in routine, fear of water, and simply not feeling well.
Simple Tips for Caregivers
Thanks to her work as a wellness and nutrition coach, Aaron was able to use some home health tips also recommended by the experts:
- Make the bathroom warm by bringing in an extra heater.
- Use abath chair or bench and a handheld nozzle.
- Play music, or in Aaron's case, sing with the person if they enjoyed singing before their illness.
- Be prepared with all necessary items—such as an extra stack of towels–you will need during the bath or shower because you cannot leave them alone.
- Run only a few inches of water in the bathtub and check the temperature (or allow them to check it) before putting them in the water.
- Stick to a routine.
- Partial sponge baths can be used daily and full baths every four or five days. Although
Aaron's father remained well enough for years to bathe himself and still do most of the care for his wife, Aaron would also treat her father to foot baths. "He would say, ‘You're spoiling me.'"
One thing that is recommended by Aaron for either children of elderly parents or their in home caregivers is to always be respectful.
"I would never want to take away their dignity," she said. "I did anything to just be respectful of my parents. They deserved it! Look at all our parents have done for us. I would never want to talk down to them—they are adults, just weak and frail."
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