The bathing of older adults with dementia

Older adults who need assistance with bathing often find the activity to be both physically and emotionally demanding, as do their caregivers. Research has identified several contributing factors, including pain; fatigue and weakness; confusion; anxiety resulting from being naked in front of strange...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of nursing 2006-04, Vol.106 (4), p.40-48
Main Authors: Rader, Joanne, Barrick, Ann Louise, Hoeffer, Beverly, Sloane, Philip D, McKenzie, Darlene, Talerico, Karen Amann, Glover, Johanna Uriri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Aged
Alternatives
Attitude to Health
Bathing
Baths - adverse effects
Baths - methods
Baths - nursing
Baths - psychology
Carers
Clinical Nursing Research
Dementia
Dementia - nursing
Dementia - psychology
Elderly people
Emotional distress
Fear
Geriatric Assessment
Geriatric Nursing - methods
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Hygiene
North Carolina
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nursing
Nursing Assessment
Nursing Homes
Older people
Oregon
Pain - etiology
Pain - prevention & control
Patient-Centered Care - methods
Philosophy, Nursing
Risk Factors
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Stress, Psychological - prevention & control
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Summary:Older adults who need assistance with bathing often find the activity to be both physically and emotionally demanding, as do their caregivers. Research has identified several contributing factors, including pain; fatigue and weakness; confusion; anxiety resulting from being naked in front of strangers, being afraid of falling, and being in a noisy or unfamiliar place; and discomfort from cold or drafty bathing areas or harsh water sprays. The authors of this article make the case for the elimination of forced bathing. Research supports this change in philosophy and practice, whereby bathing is not a task to be performed but rather a human interaction. Inexpensive, practical, and evidence-based alternatives are discussed.
ISSN:0002-936X
1538-7488
DOI:10.1097/00000446-200604000-00026