How Often Does Your Loved One In A Nursing Home Get Bathed??

[Anonymous]

Some facilities, when you ask about your particular parent, will say the parent often refuses. Bathing happens once a week because that's the minimum required and the parent is refusing, when offered the chance, on other days.

I do not know if that is true. We had a good experience at the facility and our parent was happy so I wasn't looking to be critical. I did ask often initially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some facilities, when you ask about your particular parent, will say the parent often refuses. Bathing happens once a week because that's the minimum required and the parent is refusing, when offered the chance, on other days.

I do not know if that is true. We had a good experience at the facility and our parent was happy so I wasn't looking to be critical. I did ask often initially.

Hmmm, this is interesting.
I have heard that workers in nursing homes usually will claim that a certain patient in their care refuses baths so that is the reason they are not bathed beyond a week.

I wonder how much of this is actually factual.
I would think most patients would welcome a daily warm comforting soak in a tub (or if they use a bath chair, just the warm water on them.)

Who wouldn’t want to be clean??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Dad in assisted living in California, it is offered 3x per week. Sometimes he is agreeable and cooperative and other times he refuses. He is ambulatory though, so it isn't a struggle to bathe him if he does decide to bathe.

This was my mom in an assisted living. Baths were 3 times a week but if she didn’t want it, she said no. In theory, she could have taken a shower when she wanted as long as someone knew that was her plan so they could check on her. Guessing it would differ in a nursing home if patient has mobility problems.

[Anonymous]

At home with a live in caregiver: on a daily basis.
At the very least every other day.

At a nursing home: only weekly.
Though visitors are more than welcome to bathe when they visit.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how much of this is actually factual.
I would think most patients would welcome a daily warm comforting soak in a tub (or if they use a bath chair, just the warm water on them.)

Who wouldn’t want to be clean??

many people with dementia have issues with bathing--fear, sensory issues, not understanding/unfamiliar place, etc. My mom was refusing baths for a while because she didn't want to be "manhandled" by the caregiver and she was convinced she had showered already.