This is a follow-up to another thread about practicing bedbaths. It's about what is NOT taught in school, whether or not you use dummies or each other....
I have done lots of informal teaching during baths. Sometimes patients are more receptive at these times.
How do you get all that dried stool out from under those unkempt fingernails? Why aren't we taught this sometime?!! Try to get that dementia patient to hold his hand in a bowl of warm, soapy water!! Put a chux (or whatever they call the disposable bed protectors these days) under the pt's arm, slather on a large amount of hand/body lotion on the offending hand, wrap in a warm wet washcloth, then wrap in the chux. Do that hand LAST if possible. You will need an old-fashioned orange stick to get it all out.
Assess ROM and skin - get the patient to reach whatever is possible. They may seem helpless until they wash between their toes. Look for bruises, rashes, skin tears. The bruises on Mrs A's back? What bruises? Oh, she says, my stepson 'accidently' hit me a week ago. Some very quiet conversation revealed continual abuse from the 6 foot 15 year old that the woman was afraid to tell her husband. Convinced her to let me call social work.
Don't know the outcome, don't ask me.
Interesting tattoos may reveal information about the patient past or present. "Oh yeah, I got that one about 10 years ago. That reminds me, I forgot to tell the doc about the hepatitis I had then".
So the technique of the bedbath is only a small amount of what is done during the bedbath. Practice therapeutic conversation, interviewing and assessment, and all manner of information exchange that can be done during this time.
And that really annoying patient who is always on her bell? She may rest comfortably for a while, just because you took the time to care.
shaving is so important. it's not a priority as an aide, so it often goes undone, but a man who shaves every morning probably doesn't feel like himself, he may feel sloppy and not right. I get that impression from the mid-70s men that ask to have their face shaved or for a razor, or bring their own razor. it's always important to look and feel your best, so i try to make time if i see that an older man needs his face shaved and is too weak to do it himself, i put it on my to do list for the afternoon.
thank you for this, gina.
i too, am big on shaving...
but let's not forget the ladies either!!
my goodness, it takes literally, less than a minute.
to shave off those chin hairs is sooooooo appreciated, you have no idea until you've done it.
this grateful smile comes over their faces, as they whisper a "thank you".
please, it's an issue no woman wants to talk about but they know it's there.
Peri-care!!! Super important and I feel oft times it's getting neglected. Then comes fingernails, and, betweeen showers, under breasts, skin folds, and TOES. Please, clean between their toes!
shaving is so important. it's not a priority as an aide, so it often goes undone, but a man who shaves every morning probably doesn't feel like himself, he may feel sloppy and not right. I get that impression from the mid-70s men that ask to have their face shaved or for a razor, or bring their own razor. it's always important to look and feel your best, so i try to make time if i see that an older man needs his face shaved and is too weak to do it himself, i put it on my to do list for the afternoon.
Oh yes! This one too! Please don't forget to shave the little old ladies hairs on their chiny-chin-chins. I'm sure in their younger years they would be mortified to have those there! It's just respectful
oh and how bout this one, really do a proper job with peri care because of fungal infections. Especially if they are large and sweaty- the more difficult it is, the more the chances that somebody previous slacked. It's not uncommon to find a fungal infection in the groin folds.
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
thank you for this, gina.
i too, am big on shaving...
but let's not forget the ladies either!!
my goodness, it takes literally, less than a minute.
to shave off those chin hairs is sooooooo appreciated, you have no idea until you've done it.
this grateful smile comes over their faces, as they whisper a "thank you".
please, it's an issue no woman wants to talk about but they know it's there.
so let's not forget the ladies either.
leslie