Male pericare

allantiques4me · Mar 3, 2007

Its been a long time since Ive performed male peri care,but I think if hes alert and oriented enough to get an erection and say crude remarks,maybe he might be able to do his own peri care.Offer to assist with preparing his bath equiptment,water ,towels,ect.It does sometimes happen.Be the professional you are.If he speaks crudely or sexuallly to you ask him not to talk to you like that.

caliotter3 · Mar 3, 2007

You should always provide the equipment necessary for the pt to do their own pericare, falls under the subject of doing maximum ADLs for self. If the person is incapacitated and you have to do it: Suggestions: Be as quick as possible, if an erection occurs, ignore it, unless the pt makes a remark. Usually they are embarassed and you can just say something inocuous like "It's ok, this happens sometimes" If he is inappropriate, then, like allantiques4me says, call him on it. Document if he is inappropriate, and inform your supervisor. Next time, take a witness into the room. Remember, you always have to protect yourself.

AshleyF · Mar 9, 2007

On my first day of clinicals the first thing I was checked off on was male pericare. I thought it would be really embarassing, which it was but it wasn't as bad as I thought. You just have to go in with a professional attitude and get it done as fast and efficiently as possible while doing it the correct way. My instructor said she can do entire pericare in 3 minutes. But usually if you are in a LTCF with elderly residents, most men need a lot of stimulis to get an erection. And if something is said I agree that you should report it and say that you don't appreciate the remarks. Good Luck!

indierock · Mar 9, 2007

this actually happened to me the other day. I was giving pericare on an elderly resident who had fallen asleep and he got an erection. Truth be told, even if they are old, the are still human. Its a natural response to stimulation.

followyourbliss · Mar 9, 2007

hi there!i hear you on the peri-care,male or female it is certainly not the highlight of their day....however unless they are a new admission it is something they are "used to".i make sure i am prepared,proffessional and depending on their cognition i will say"excuse my reach" or something similiar.i work in a complex care facility so the range of dementia ,brain damage,etc varies greatly and you get to know who may be uncomfortable or who perhaps is resistive!i find just as many women wish they could do everything themselves again{if they are unable}so that is hard to do sometimes.good luck to you,every day shows you what works better and what doesn't!!! take care

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Mar 9, 2007

Thanks for the responses. I finally performed my first male pericare yesterday and I have to admit that it didn't bother me at all. I think it was because I had put on my CNA game and just went in there and did what needed to be done. I didn't freak or anything. The guy was acting more embarassed than I was.

AshleyF · Mar 12, 2007

Good for you!

niko1999 RN BSN · Mar 21, 2007

That was the biggest question I had for my mother who was a nurse for years. I asked her, what am I supposed to do if they get an erection!??? And she told me, just go on with what youre doing. I have two residents, who get errections EVERY time peri-care is done on them. Im pretty much oblivious to one of them the other one is, well, a little perverted. But you just do what you gotta do. I find myself excusing myself as I do it- I think it helps them realize that I am not in it for, well, ya know. GOod luck!

peridotgirl · Jul 24, 2007

Its been a long time since Ive performed male peri care,but I think if hes alert and oriented enough to get an erection and say crude remarks,maybe he might be able to do his own peri care.Offer to assist with preparing his bath equiptment,water ,towels,ect.It does sometimes happen.Be the professional you are.If he speaks crudely or sexuallly to you ask him not to talk to you like that.

First of all, in doing pericare it depends on who you are working with. If the man is an elderly, then it will require a lot of stimulis to get an erection. However, if he does have an erection, this is normal and he might be embrassed, so say that it's normal and it happens from tme to time. I agree with allantiques4me in saying that if he is alert eneough to have an erection, then he can do his own pericare. I too, have practiced on maniquins in school and I would be a bit nervous on doing pericare on a male. I think it takes practice with the procedure. The more real-life expierence you get the more comfortable you will become with the procedure. If you do feel uncomfortable on your first time doing pericare, then ask an RN to supervise you. As for doing the pericare on the oppsite sex, I believe that there has to be another witness in the room, but I'm not completely sure. I wish you the best of luck!

suanna · Jul 24, 2007

Keep in mind that "crude" remarks my just be the way the patient copes with an undignified situation- a defense against what feels like an invasion of very personal space. You are the professional. If it occurs, he is not going to club you with his errection and the less you make of it the more comfortable it will be for him. I find a steady banter of small talk and a brief clinical explanation of why peri care is needed helps the process go smoothly.

aviator411, RN · Jul 24, 2007

I can add some male perspective to this discussion, rather "old" perspective at that.

Several female contributors here offer the advice that it takes substantial "stimulation" to produce an erection in a male, especially an "old" one. Sometimes this is true but often times it is NOT. The production of an erection is as much mental/emotional as it is physical even among older males. The physical appearance and demeanor of a female care giver and/or the condition or state of mind of the patient can produce an erectile response with little or no physical stimulus, again, even among older male patients. This can even occur in the presence of a male care giver and, no, it doesn't mean either is gay; only that the situation is probably very awkward and unfamiliar.

Female care givers should especially know that the erectile response tends to be much stronger and more sensitive upon waking and when the bladder is full; naturally both of these conditions tend to occur simultaneously in the AM so consider it.

A female care giver might consider an erectile response a "compliment" without implying encouragement or blame. I don't know any male care givers who feel uncomfortable if female peri-care produces an arousal response of some sort; why females would feel otherwise is not clear to most of us. It may be a function of comfort/experience level with the opposite gender so if you conduct yourself as if you've been doing it all your life, you're probably less likely to evoke arousal.

Most females have probably had to learn, consciously or unconsciously, to manage the effects their presence and appearance have on males long before entering nursing. Some of that same strategy could apply here.

But remember, it isn't entirely a matter of physical stimulation or even personal attraction; there is an element here over which neither party has total control in all situations and you should recognize, probably even acknowledge such to your patient as you perform your professional care. Some of these responses are hard-wired (no pun intended) into the male brain and nothing either party does may prevent them so you need to expect it to happen occasionally and recognize it as an unavoidable response, not necessarily something that you or the patient have any control over. A healthy and appropriate sense of humor can be useful in such situations.

Don't overlook the influence of waking and a full bladder. Most males of any age are far more likely to experience an erectile response under these conditions without any physical stimulation at all.

The more time you spend "worrying" about it the more difficult the situation will be for you.

Hope this helps.

Best of luck; you'll do just fine!