Teaching personal hygiene skills to teens

purplemania, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2005

I doubt that reading about it will make a difference to this age group. You need to find a way that peer pressure can work on your side. Maybe a group that gets together to teach kindergarten age---if you teach it you have to know it. Tough age group to work with, aren't they? You might try about.com.

prmenrs, RN · Feb 2, 2005

I wonder if you can find a textbook on "Health" for that age group. Seems to me my son took health in Jr Hi, and had a textbook. I'd also look @ Lakeshore, they make/sell educational products for younger kids, a lot aimed @ spec ed, but they also have a division for older [spec ed] children w/simpler texts on a variety of life skills and educational topics.

prmenrs, RN · Feb 2, 2005

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Catalog_Id=2&Section_Id=&pcount=&Product_Id=39508&RememberSectionId=&RememberCatalogId=2&Status_Code=ACTV&uniq=2005yr%3A2mth%3A2day%3A12hr%3A12min%3A31s%3A562ms%3A+

This is a workbook that only costs $10.95. It might help.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1892194015/qid=1107375559/sr=1-16/ref=sr_1_16/103-0690516-2755828?v=glance&s=books

This is another book, very cheap if you get a used copy.

oldnewnurse · Feb 3, 2005

Maybe you can get some ideas from this...

As part of our Peds rotation in school last year, myself and a fellow student had to teach hygiene to a group of developmentally disabled male teens. My partner drew Southpark characters (you know the simple round faced guys with hats on) in various poses...one with whiskers growing out of his face...one standing under a shower with a bar of soap and hair growing out of his armpit...one laying in bed with an erection poking up the covers with a talk bubble saying, "Oh, oh!", one with a guy exhaling and the guy next to him with a talk bubble saying, "toilet breath", one with red bumps on his face representing acne, and some other ones I can no longer remember. The kids loved the class! We started out by saying something about maybe they had noticed some changes in their bodies, and then we held up the first poster board with the guy with the whiskers. They roared. Then I said it was a real normal thing for guys to get hair on their faces...and in other places. Then we held up the picture with the guy in the shower with the hair in his armpit. We told them that girls grew hair at their age too, just not in the same places. I went through the other poster boards with some relevant comments and at the end we gave them a bar of soap, some shaving cream, a disposable razor, a toothbrush, some toothpaste and mouthwash. We also left a bag of Hershey's Hugs and Hershey's Kisses with the teacher for them to have at a later time. I said something like...those are all the hugs and kisses you should be getting at your age, but in a few years...watch out girls!

We were asked to do several more classes and then asked to videotape our presentation so they could use it in future years.

It was a fun project to put together, to present, and it made a difference in these young lives at a level they could understand.

Good luck

Snowee · Feb 3, 2005

You know, these sorts of posts are the reason I lurk around this forum...it is SO HEARTWARMING to see someone trying to help this teen, and then to see how "prmenrs" and "oldnewnurse" and "purplemania" replied so helpfully...just so nice to see this...don't know why, but after a really bad day, seeing this Human Kindness really chokes me up...I didn't get to follow my dream of nursing, but it is a joy to see those who did be so Generous of their Knowledge and Skills, and such good Advice, too!

CHATSDALE · Feb 3, 2005

one of my sons went through an period in his life, about 10 to 13, where it was a fight for him to take a shower.,..then after driving his mother into early senility he discovered girls and girls who liked boys who showered and shampooed..from then on till he went away to college you could not get in the bathroom when he was at home

there is light at the end of the tunnel

leslie :-D · Feb 3, 2005

i know, i'm surprised.

my teens are fanatical about their showers.

not necessarily the same for my 11 yo but i told him already that as his body changes, he'd better start showering more often or kids at school are going to make fun of his b.o.

his older brother and sister told him the same thing.

but i wasn't aware of teens have hygiene problems.

allnurses Guide · Feb 3, 2005

one of my sons went through an period in his life, about 10 to 13, where it was a fight for him to take a shower.,..then after driving his mother into early senility he discovered girls and girls who liked boys who showered and shampooed..from then on till he went away to college you could not get in the bathroom when he was at home
there is light at the end of the tunnel

My second son did the same thing only with his teeth. He didn't brush his teeth for months. Even he can't believe he did that. He is a little subversive in his rebellion choices. :rolleyes:

steph

laurakoko · Feb 3, 2005

Same thing here.... I just really sat down with mine, and told him at times he STINKS. Before that, I tried hygiene talks, health talks, everything I could think of going around just the truth. A new thing in my house, he lets me know when he is running low on shampoo or soap, and dang if the house doesn't smell like a perfume factory at 0630 before school.... oh, and the latest, I guess from the ads... he asked for Axe body spray. I laughed. :chuckle But I bought it. I can't say he still doesn't stink, but it's not B.O.:chuckle

hmcna · Feb 6, 2005

Thanks for all your replys....

I work as a nurse with teens with behavior problems in a residential setting.

This particular one, is a 13 yr old, who was a crack baby, who lived with her crack addicted mom till she was 11 or so, and was always kept in diapers etc, yet she's not physically or intellectually delayed.... they do assume she was sexually abused as well as physically abused, and neglected.

She has a lot of behavioral/emotional problems...

She was potty trained at 11, but goes thru spells where she will have accidents both urine and stool.

The hardest thing for us right now, is that after soiling, she will go in and take a shower, but when she comes out, with clean clothes on, she still smells just like before.... and we are thinking she's just not washing herself....

So this is why i'm looking toward a way to teach her all the areas to wash, and how...

Normally kids learn this from siblings or parents... when they are young, they often shower with the older person... I know i've taken many a shower with a 18 month - 3 yr old, (my friends kids, or kids i was co parenting)

Indy, LPN, LVN · Feb 6, 2005

My daughter is 12 and autistic; she has got some hygiene problems that we're working on. One, she's afraid to wash her hair and always has been. Of course, she likes her hair really long. Two, she's terrified of a razor and I have absolutely no clue why. She's never been injured by one (before puberty I would put the razors away when she was in the tub) but she shies away and yells, in the same manner she would if it were something hot. She has come to think she can brush her own teeth, and wants to plug the sink, run a sink full of water, and use no toothpaste. If I catch her doing that in the AM, I go in and brush her teeth for her- this child has never had a cavity and I wanna keep it that way! She would rather do anything than wash her face, and you have to hand her the deodorant in order for it to be used.

I have no intention of forcing her to shave her legs, but oh MY gosh - she is gonna shave her pits this summer. I'm still not sure how that's gonna happen. Truthfully, I'd be glad if she would just wash that mop of a head herself.

As far as getting someone that age to wash the right places, well I hand her soap and a washcloth and usually she starts in on the correct places. If so, I close the curtain and let her be for a bit. If not, I tell her what to wash and she knows, the way to get me to GO AWAY is to hurry up and do it.