Many seniors refuse to bathe due to the onset of dementia, fears about safety, a lack of interest, or other issues. Bathing is an important part of personal hygiene, so it's important to find a way to help your senior loved one overcome this issue.
Here's a list of some reasons the elderly may have for not bathing: They may experience pain while standing, bending or sitting. They may have a fear of water and/or its sound—this is especially true for seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia. They may fear falling on hard bathroom due to poor balance.
While a mild case of body odor and a disheveled appearance can be a minor cause for concern, other seniors neglect their hygiene so much that it can jeopardize their overall health. For example, it can put them at risk of urinary tract infections or skin infections and put a damper on their mental health, as well.
So how often should an elderly bathe? To avoid any skin conditions or infections, a senior should bathe at least once or twice a week.
Showering or bathing too often can strip the skin of natural oils and dry out the skin. At times it can lead to itchy and flaky skin – which can cause infections. Therefore, it's okay for the elderly to just bathe once or twice a week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “older adult” as someone who is at least 60 years old. Many states may also have different definitions of “elderly” when determining what resources are available in cases of elder abuse, although most states commonly use 65 years of age as the cut-off.
Bathing once or twice a week is acceptable for older adults, as the purpose is to prevent the skin from breaking down and lower the risk of skin infections. Seniors also tend to be less active than younger adults, so they can get away with fewer baths. However, you don't want your loved one to develop body odor.
Dementia stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline
At this point, a person may no longer be able to carry out normal activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing or bathing, or Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) without some caregiver assistance.
Ablutophobia is a fear of showering or bathing. It's common in toddlers, but can also affect teens and adults. Someone with ablutophobia has an irrational fear of bathing that can lead to anxiety that interferes with daily life, and may even cause panic attacks.
Generally speaking, older adults may only need to wash their hair around once per week. For seniors who are hesitant to wash with greater frequency, dry shampoos can be effective in the days between wet washing.
While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.
Don't take a bath every day: Daily baths can dry out your skin by ridding your body of its natural oils. Try for baths no more than twice a week. Shower between bath days. Use warm (not hot) water: Some people may experience dizziness or weakness when the temperature is too hot.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.
"Showering less helps strengthen your immune system by keeping disease-fighting bacteria living on your skin. It also allows us to preserve more of our microorganisms and the skin's natural oils," she says.
If you don't wash your body, it makes it easier for germs that cause actual skin infections to flourish. If you didn't wash at all, dirt, sweat, dead skin cells and oil would start to accumulate, and infections or ongoing skin conditions can become more serious, more difficult to manage, and harder to undo.
If you don't like standing in the shower, try having a bath, use soaps or bath bombs that make you feel happy and calm. If you don't have a bath, you could try using shower bombs. I have found these a really nice alternative as I can really focus on breaking up the shower bomb, and the foamy soap is so soft on my skin.
The United States' older adult population can thus, be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74 years old), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84 years old), and the old-old (over age 85).
Typically, the elderly has been defined as the chronological age of 65 or older. People from 65 to 74 years old are usually considered early elderly, while those over 75 years old are referred to as late elderly.
This report focuses on older Australians—generally those aged 65 and over, unless otherwise specified. For older Indigenous Australians, the age range 50 and over is used, reflecting the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and the lower proportion of Indigenous people aged 65 and over.