5 Tips How to get an Alzheimer's Patient to Shower

Getting a person living with Alzheimer's or dementia to take a shower or bath is one of the most common problems we face as caregivers.One of the earliest problems I faced with my mother, Dotty,was getting her to take a shower.In the beginning, I would typically make a common Alzheimer's caregiver mistake -I would try to convince my mom to take the shower.Learn More -Care of Dementia PatientsThis usually resulted in me tryingto convince her that she needed a shower,the importance of the shower for good health (hygiene), or trying to convince her she would "stink" if she didn't take a shower.By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomSubscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading - This is a Free Service - Join NowNo matter what explanation or cajoling I tried it didn't work. Dotty would usually getangry, and use one of her favorite words - bulls***.I can laugh about it now. But, I can also assure you that it didn't seem funny at the time.Article -How to talk and communicate with dementia patientsDo you have this problem?Or, if you solved the problem, can you laugh about it now?The feeling of accomplishment once you overcome this problem, and once you have your loved one all "squeaky" clean, is really quite wonderful. Look at it this way. Would you want to be all smelly?More important, if you don't get the shower in at least twice a week the odds ofthe dreaded urinary tract infection goes up exponentially. Do you really want to deal with that?Learn More -The Connection Between UTI and Worsen...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care alzheimer's tips care of dementia patients how to get a dementia patient to shower how to shower a patient in a nursing home memory care facility Source Type: blogs