February 2008 Name of Organization

Address Line
Phone Number

Caregiver Assistance News

“C a r i n g f o r y o u … c a r i n g f o r o t h e r s ”

Bathing
Sponge, Tub or Shower
As a caregiver, you may find that
some of your time each day will be
devoted to assisting the person in
your care with personal hygiene.
The Sponge or Bed Bath
People who are confined to bed
need bed baths. Baths clean, stimu-
late, and increase blood flow (circu-
lation) in the skin. However, they
can also dry the skin and in some
instances cause chapping. Thus, you If baths are given often and the
must decide how often a bed bath is skin is dry, use soap and water one
needed. Your decision must be based time, lotion and water the next.
on the situation of the person in your Cornstarch and powder can cause
care. For example, if urinary incon- skin problems in some people. Ask the
tinence (leakage), bowel problems, nurse on your health care team for
and heavy perspiration are present, advice.
To avoid spreading germs, always
Adapted from The Comfort of Home: Caregiver Series, © 2008 CareTrust Publications. www.comfortofhome.com

a daily bath may be in order. If not,

bathing 2–3 times per week might be
enough as daily bathing is hard on
older skin.
Caregivers may think they know
what the person needs or wants, but
it is always better to ask.
At bath time, inspect the whole
body for pressure sores, swelling,
rashes, moles, and other unusual
conditions.
NOTE
Remove all electrical equipment that
could get wet from the bathing area.
wash your own hands before and
after giving a bath. At each step, tell
the person what you are about to do
and ask for his or her help if they
are able. Make sure the room is a
comfortable temperature and not too
warm. Gather disposable gloves, mild
soap, washcloth, washbasin, lotion,
comb, electric razor, shampoo—and
clean clothes. Use good body mechan-
ics (position)—keep your feet separat-
ed, stand firmly, bend your knees, and
keep your back in a neutral position.
Always start washing at the cleanest
area and work toward the dirtiest area.
 Ca r egi v e r A s si s tan c e N e w s l ett e r February 2008

Continued from page 1

The Tub Bath

If the person in
your care has good
mobility and is strong
enough to get in and
out of the tub, he or
she may enjoy a tub
bath. Be sure there are grab bars, a
bath bench, and a rubber mat so the
person doesn’t slide.
1. Check the water temperature
before the person gets in.
2. Guide the person into the tub.
Have the person use the grab bars.
(Don’t let the person grab you and
pull you down.) The Shower
3. Help the person wash. Some people with dementia and
4. Empty the tub and then help the older people can become frightened by
person get out. the sound and feel of running water.
It may be soothing to let the person
5. Guide the person to use the grab
smell the soap and feel the towel. Be
bars while getting out. OR you
sure the shower floor is not slippery.
can have the person stand up and
For safety’s sake, be sure there are
then sit on the bath bench. Swing
well-placed grab bars.
first one leg, then the other leg,
over the edge of the tub. Help him 1. Explain to the person what you
stand. are going to do.
6. Put a towel on a chair or toilet lid 2. Provide a shower stool.
for the person sit on to dry off. 3. Turn on the cold water and then
the hot to prevent burns. Use
gentle water pressure.
If a bath bench is
not used, many 4. Clean the less sensitive parts of
the body such as the feet first.
people feel more
secure if they turn 5. For safety, ask the person to hold
the grab bar or to sit on the
on to their side and
shower stool.
then get on their
6. Move the water hose around the
knees before rising from the tub. This
person rather than asking the
is a very helpful way to get out of the person to move.
tub if the person is unsteady.
7. Assist in washing as needed.
© 2008 CareTrust Publications

8. Guide the person out of the shower

Wash mitts (terrycloth and wrap with a towel. Turn the
gloves) are better than water off.
holding a washcloth. 9. If necessary, have the person sit on
 a stool or on the toilet lid.
 Ca r egi v e r A s sis tan ce N e w s l ette r February 2008

Taking Care of Yourself

Foods
Getting the Most From from the food
so me eas y tip s for get tin g the most nutritional value
Here are it has. For
. Fir st, the fre sh er the foo d you eat, the more nutrition
you eat
s keeps them from
tan ce, eve n tho ugh ref rig era ting your fruits and vegetable
ins the
e ha lf or mo re of so me vit amins when you leave them in
spoiling, they can los
or two.
refrigerator more than a week t—choose fruits
eas y to get a var iet y of vit amins and minerals in your die
It’s s.
fer ent col ors . It’l l ple as e bot h your eyes and your taste bud
and vegetables with dif t
you r veg eta ble s. Wh en ste aming them, use a small amoun
Don’t overcook ccoli should
ste am the m onl y un til the y are tender. For instance, bro
of water and
be bright green, not olive green.
e container with a
Wr ap lef tovers wit h pla sti c wrap or put them in a storag

in the fridge.
tles of juice. Store everything
snap-on top. Put a cap on bot

Live Life Laughing! Inspiration

You cannot always have
My wife ran off with
my best friend. happiness, but you can always
give happiness.
I bet you miss him.

The Basin Bath

If the person in your care can
be in a chair or wheelchair, you
can give a sponge bath at the
sink. Wash the face first. Wash
the rest of the upper body. If
the person can stand, wash the
© 2008 CareTrust Publications

genitals. If the person is too

weak to stand, wash the lower
part of the body in the bed.



Our Purpose
To provide caregivers with critical
information enabling them to do their job
with confidence, pride, and competence.
Ordering Info
From the publishers of
Caregiver Series
available from…
CareTrust Publications LLC
PO Box 10283, Portland, OR 97296
800-565-1533
or www.comfortofhome.com
Comments and suggestions welcome.
©2008 CareTrust Publications LLC.
All rights reserved. Reproduction of any
component of this publication is forbidden
without a license from the publisher.
Some content in this publication is excerpted
from The Comfort of Home: Caregivers Series.
It is for informational use and not health advice.
It is not meant to replace medical care but to
supplement it. The publisher assumes no
liability with respect to the accuracy,
completeness or application of information
presented or the reader’s misunderstanding
of the text.
Alzheimer’s Care Bathing
Bathing is often called the most challenging activity for
both the person with dementia and the caregiver.
Bathing Tips:
• Water splashed on the face can • Assistive items
be frightening for the person such as a shower
with Alzheimer’s. Use a wash- with a hand-held
cloth on the face. nozzle, a shower
• Running water can be scary. chair in the stall,
Face the person away from it. or bath bench can be helpful
if you know how to use them
• Removing clothes can be fright-
correctly.
ening or painful and cause a
feeling of loss. Don’t rush. • Use distractions if the person
is nervous or uncomfortable to
• If you have to bathe someone
try to take his attention away
and he refuses, consider waiting
from the water or what is
until after he takes a nap, and
scaring him.
then use a sponge bath.
• Have all necessary items at
• Think of things that might relax
hand because you cannot
the person—soft background
leave the person alone to go
music; make sure the bathroom
get something.
is warm.
N E X T I S S U E … m e d ication assistance
 Bathing—February 2008

Caregiver Assistance News

“C a r i n g f o r y o u … c a r i n g f o r o t h e r s ”

Q u i c k Q u i z
Bathing is a part of good hygiene, however it can be dangerous when the
person in your care does not have good mobility and the bathroom does not have
well-placed grab bars. Read this issue and answer True or False to the questions
below.

1. Frequent bathing keeps the skin moist and prevents chaffing.

TF
2. It is good idea to make the room hot before bathing.
TF
3. When bathing a person, start washing at the cleanest part and
work toward the dirtiest.
TF
4. When guiding a person into the tub, let them hold on to you and
use the grab bars as a last resort.
TF
5. Terrycloth wash mitts are better for washing the body than
a washcloth.
TF
6. When using a shower, spray and clean the less sensitive parts of the body such
as the feet first.
TF
7. When drying the person, it’s better to have them stand while you towel him or

Key: 1-F; 2-F; 3-T; 4-F; 5-T; 6-T; 7-F; 8-T; 9-F; 10-T
her off.
TF
8. Choosing a variety of colors in your fruits and vegetables will give you a variety
of vitamins and nutrients.
TF
9. Keeping fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator preserves their nutritional
value as long as they aren’t spoiled.
TF
10. Steam vegetables only till they are tender, not until they lose their color.
TF
© 2008 CareTrust Publications

Name ________________________________________

Signature_____________________________________Date_________________________