Difficult showers

[Penny82]

I have a resident that absolutely refuses to take a shower. The other aids just take her in the shower room and do it. They usually end up getting verbally abused or worse, physically abused. I have a problem with forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do. It's their right to refuse. A few weeks ago I was working with this resident and no matter what I did or said I couldn't get her to take her shower. On Friday that week, which I have off, the resident gets a bad peri rash. Her skin was open and bleeding. I ended up getting blamed by another CNA for not being able to get this resident in the shower. It's my turn with this resident again and now I feel like I absolutely have to shower her. A lot of the problem is she scares me. I don't want to get hit. She's a hoyer lift and has contracture in her legs so I'm not sure a tub bath is a good idea. I've tried bed baths before, but she refuses that too now. Aside from taking her into the shower room and just doing it like the other aids, I'm at a loss. Never mind that the last time I tried that before we even got there she started yelling at me. What are your strategies on getting through difficult showers and talking residents into them?

[MurrR]

http://www.bathingwithoutabattle.unc.edu/

If you have to buy it, it is worth it. The residents whent from fighting, biting, and screaming to OOOOing and AAAHHhing and thanking the cna repeatedly throughtout the bath.

Oh, I looked at the price... it is still worth it for a facility or class or maybe several of you can split the cost. At the very least check out the towel bath.

Basically, avoid the distressing things.... almost everyone is distressed by being cold and uncovered. The dvd shows several alternatives in which the person remains warm and covered the whole time. It also covers several other commonly distressing things related to baths... how/why they are distressing and how to avoid them.

This looks amazing! I'm going to send this link to the CNA program I graduated from - I know that almost everybody in my class was nervous as heck about combative residents and showers.

[LaterAlligator]

I want to see that bathing without a battle DVD too! Most of my residents dislike being bathed. I wrote a blogpost about it with my tips if anyone is struggling with it at your job

[2ndyearstudent, CNA]

What are your strategies on getting through difficult showers and talking residents into them?

Every once in a while at the nursing home, I had a nurse tell me, "Just make them do it" when a resident was refusing care. I looked them straight in the eye and said, "OK, but you are going to be in the room the entire time. Just let me know when you want to meet me."

The nurse either thought twice about their direction to me to force the patient or they came in the room and forced them to do it themselves.

I never, ever independently forced a patient to do anything. I have assisted while PT/OT or RNs did the forcing.