How to Bathe a Senior Parent

If you are caring for a senior parent, helping with bathing and hygeine are important to prevent infection and illness. This can be embarrassing for both of you and may be humiliating to your parent who realizes she can no longer take a bath on her own. Parents with dementia can be particularly combative.

Instructions

• 1

  Help conquer fears and embarrassment. Your elderly parent may be full of mixed emotions, ranging from a fear of water to humiliation over the fact you have to do the bathing. Get to the root of the fear by talking through the situation. If your parents does not want to fully undress, remove clothing for the area you are bathing, then recover the area before you move to the next spot.

• 2

  Use a chair. If standing is difficult for your senior parent, use a stable bath or shower chair with a non-slip mat to prevent falls. Add bath rails, if possible. Use a hand-held sprayer to wash hair and rinse the body. Test water temperature before spraying on her skin.

• 3

  Give a bed bath. If your parent is bed bound, consider a bed bath. Gather two water containers, one for clean water heated to 120 degrees and another to rinse the washcloth or sponge. Collect soap, towels and other toiletries before you begin. Be sure the room is at a comfortable temperature. Work your way down, starting with the face and moving down the body to the extremities. Gently turn your parent on his side to wash his back and bottom, then end by cleaning the private areas. Use an inflatable bath basin for washing hair in bed.

• 4

  Focus on the important spots. Although your parent may have bathed daily in the past, she may be resistant to bathe often as she ages or if she develops dementia. It is important to clean the genital area, face and underarms once a day, but settle for a full bath or shower three times a week if she is not willing to bathe daily.

• 5

  Create distractions. To make the experience less embarrassing and more relaxing, talk while you bathe your senior parent. Listen to music, sing a song, or reminisce about old times.