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How Can You Convince a Senior to Bathe?

It might sound strange, but some seniors eventually start to have trouble with bathing. That trouble can cause them to skip baths and showers entirely.
Personal Care at Home in Hammond LA

Seniors might have difficulty bathing for so many different reasons. If they’re not getting a shower or bath at least once a week, seniors might need to be convinced that it’s okay and that they have the support they need. One powerful tool for seniors with bathing issues is personal care at home. These professional caregivers offer assistance with not just bathing but all sorts of other types of hygiene tasks.

Find Out What’s Causing the Problem

If seniors don’t feel safe in their bathrooms or have mobility troubles, that contributes to bathing challenges. Other issues could also be part of the problem, like depression, health issues, or memory problems. Figuring out what is causing seniors to bathe less often is the first step in helping them to get the assistance they need with hygiene tasks.

Improve Safety in the Bathroom

Improving bathroom safety is an easy step to take. Seniors may need improved stability, which is easier with handrails and non-slip mats on the floors. Other safety tools that improve bathing for seniors are shower chairs, showerheads with a longer hose, and handrails that fit over the tub’s edge. All of these devices help seniors feel more secure and stable while they’re bathing.

Simplify the Process of Bathing

Sometimes, the problem seniors run into with bathing is that bathing feels like such a daunting process. Reducing the steps or breaking the process down into fewer steps can help quite a bit. For instance, maybe seniors don’t need to wash their hair during every shower and can do that every other shower instead. Or maybe they use an all-in-one shampoo, conditioner, and body wash instead of fiddling with different products. Personal care at home can help simplify the bathing process.

Tie Bathing to Positive Events

It can also help seniors to tie bathing to social events, outings, appointments, or something else that feels positive to them. This can help to make going through the effort of bathing feel worthwhile, because it’s happening for a reason. Talk to seniors and ask them what might help them feel more excited about having a bath or shower.

Redefine What Bathing Is

Another idea is to redefine what bathing is for seniors. Home care providers can help seniors to look at bath day as a spa experience, for instance. Framing the bathing process as a beauty day might be a positive enough shift to change how seniors feel about getting into the tub. Another way to redefine bathing might involve switching from a full bath or shower on some days to using body wipes in between. This is a great idea to help seniors feel cleaner and keep their skin fresh without having to spend a lot of time and energy. And with the help of personal care at home, seniors conserve even more energy.

It’s never worth fighting with seniors about taking a bath or shower. But these activities do help seniors feel better and stay healthier. Personal care at home allows seniors to get help with personal hygiene tasks while also maintaining privacy and dignity along the way.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Personal Care at Home in Hammond, LA, please contact the caring staff at BrightCare Homecare today at (985) 224-0404
BrightCare Homecare is a top provider of home care services in the Northshore areas including Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, Hammond, Ponchatoula, Slidell, Lacombe, Abita Springs, Goodbee, St. Tammany Parish, and more.
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