Did he ever go to the beach? Set up a "beach scenario' by playing ocean
wave music, rubbing on some sun tan lotion, having him wear a bathing suit to
the tub or shower. Even a heat lamp or feel of sand might help to orient before
hand. Also, try having OT work on some bathing sequencing pictures before the
shower activity. We all need to get VERY CREATIVE under these difficult
circumstances. Good luck!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 8:16
PM
Subject: Re: what to do
We had a married couple like this, and every couple of weeks staff would
just take them, screaming and grumbling, to the shower. They never actually
fought, just complained and grouched the whole time.
You have to really walk a fine line between their right to refuse care vs
the rights of others, especially if there is a roommate.
Try bribery. Is there something he really likes to eat? At my
former facility, one of the staff would play cards with one of the "stinkies"
to reward him for bathing. Find out something he really likes, and
trade. You can also try a contract or something like that, where he gets
points or a star or whatever each time he takes a bath without fighting; then
there is a reward (his choosing) for gaining a certain number of points.
Sometimes nothing works. This may sound really stupid, but have
y'all told him he smells bad? That actually works sometimes.
My last suggestion is something we used for a lady who would insist that
she just had a bath and did not need one again, no matter how long it had
been. She was still able to understand and use a calendar. I asked her
how often she thought she needed to bathe, and she said twice a week was
plenty. So we decided on Tuesday and Friday for her baths. I took
a large calendar, and marked her bath days. On the days that she took a
bath, she would write in an X on the calendar.
When it was time for bath, they showed her the calendar, and she would
agree that it had been 3-4 days since her last bath, and was time for another
one. This worked for a couple of months, and her family actually adapted
the idea to record their visits, so that she would quit accusing them of
never, ever, ever coming to see her. When she saw it in her handwriting, she
would usually admit they had been there.
Hope something here helps. I feel your pain.
Holly
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 7:55
PM
Subject: what to do
Does anyone have any
suggestions in how to get a resident to take a shower, bath or just plain
wash up. I have a resident who is totally against anytype of bathing . He
becomes very belligerent toward staff. Psych, consult is ordered. He has no
family , only guardianship with family services.
thanks
nancy
